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A woman works in a rubber plantation in Yala province, southern Thailand, January 30, 2017. Thai rubber exporters say they have enough of the commodity in stockpiles to ensure only minimal disruption to scheduled shipments in the wake of deadly floods in key growing regions. Global rubber prices this week soared to five-year highs on worries over supply following floods that started in December, swamping plantations in the world's top producer at the height of the tapping season. But Thai exporters of rubber, used to churn out everything from tires to surgeons' gloves, told Reuters they did not expect any major impact on shipments due to stocks already in place. Thai farmers usually stop tapping rubber during a wintering season from March to May, so exporters are looking to replenish their supplies at the state auction, said Korakod Kittipol, marketing manager at Thai Hua Rubber Pcl, a major Thai rubber exporter. Prices for unsmoked USS3 rubber sheets in Nakhon Si Thammarat were quoted at 88.77 baht ($2.52) per kilogram on Monday, the highest in more than four years, according to Reuters data. (Photo by Surapan Boonthanom/Reuters)
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