Asset sales bring profits to natural rubber firms, not their farms

Natural rubber firms are making profits from non-core activities despite falling rubber prices on global markets.
Asset sales bring profits to natural rubber firms, not their farms ảnh 1A rubber farm managed by Tay Ninh Rubber JSC (Photo: baodautu.vn)
Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Natural rubber firms are making profits from non-core activities despite falling rubber prices on global markets.

Phuoc Hoa Rubber JSC (HoSE: PHR) reported 335 billion VND (14.3 million USD) in revenue for the first quarter of 2020, up 18 percent on-year. Pre-tax profit soared 260 percent on-year to 172.5 billion VND in January-March.

The company targets to earn total revenue of 2.46 trillion VND and pre-tax profit of 1.15 trillion VND in 2020, up 126 percent and 134 percent year on year.

Higher earnings are forecast because Phuoc Hoa Rubber expects to receive compensation from handing over its industrial parks to industrial park developers Nam Tan Uyen JSC and Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park.

Selling assets is expected to bring high turnovers to the company as its core business – rubber exploitation and trading – has been affected negatively by the global COVID-19 pandemic.

In the first three months of the year, Phuoc Hoa Rubber posted a 40 percent decline in its export volume, which was 1,024 tonnes – fulfilling 8.9 percent of the full-year plan. Purchasing and processing volumes also fell 35 percent and 51 percent on-year, respectively.

The company’s board of directors has predicted consumption would keep falling in the remaining months of the year.

Hoa Binh Rubber JSC (HoSE: HRC) also recorded good earnings growth in the first quarter of the year.

The company reported an annual increase of 27 percent in its first quarter net revenue, which touched 43 billion VND. Its net profit gained more than a third on-year to 825 million VND in the first three months.

According to the company spokesperson Banh Manh Duc, Hoa Binh Rubber recorded strong gains in net profit due to receivables from its clients, which were worth at least 4.5 billion VND.

Tay Ninh Rubber JSC (HoSE: TRC) saw its profit surge five times on-year to 20.3 billion VND in the first quarter, though revenue dropped 26.3 percent on-year to 52 billion VND.

The company reported it had earned 21 billion VND from selling fixed assets, which helped cut costs by 30 percent and boosted profit.

According to TRC, natural rubber firms’ operation depends significantly on the price of natural rubber and the conditions of international markets.

In the first three-month period, rubber futures on the Tokyo Commodity Exchange (TOCOM) lost 30 percent from 207.80 yen (1.93 USD) per kilo on January 14 to end March at 145.20 yen per kilo as the global pandemic COVID-19 hampered global trade and pulled the demand down.

Rubber prices are forecast to keep dropping in the months to come, according to the Department of Export and Import under the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Rubber price hit its 11-year low of 140.60 yen per kilo on April 2.

Ending the first quarter, Vietnam exported 227,000 tonnes of rubber and rubber products, worth 331 million USD. The figures were down 33 percent on-year in volume and 26 percent on-year in value.

Facing the problems brought by the disease, natural rubber companies have switched from rubber farming to industrial park development, which is expected to bring them huge profits as they are managing a large scale of land.

The disruption of global supply, caused by the China-US trade war and COVID-19, will encourage international corporations to more their plants from China to other neighbouring countries, including Vietnam./.
VNA

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