Rubber Plantation In Liberia

Firestone established the firestone natural rubber plantation in harbel liberia in 1926.

Rubber plantation in liberia. A new documentary firestone and the warlord a joint investigation by frontline and propublica tells the story of firestone s liberia rubber plantation especially during liberia s civil war. However the civil wars of the 1990s and early 2000s were the demise of the rubber industry. Gbarnga liberia christopher reeves has farmed rubber for more than three decades in liberia selling his crop to the international tire maker firestone which also operates the world s. Firestone natural rubber company llc is a subsidiary of the bridgestone americas inc headquartered in nashville tn the company operates the largest contiguous rubber plantation in the world in liberia which first opened in 1926.

From 1926 until the outbreak of the first liberian civil war in 1990 the firestone natural rubber company was the largest plantation of its kind in the world. Even in post conflict liberia this commodity remains the country s most important cash crop 1 rubber trees are cultivated on large company owned plantations where workers collect rubber year round for a fixed salary. Since 1926 firestone natural rubber company has worked with the people of liberia to create a thriving natural rubber industry and to provide critical and in many cases otherwise unavailable social services to its liberian teammates and their families. About firestone natural rubber company.

In september 1990 rebel npfl forces led by. Since the establishment of the firestone plantation in 1926 rubber has been the cornerstone of the liberian economy. Src was looted and the wrc factory was destroyed. Firestones plantation established in 1926 and leased for 99 years is among the worlds largest rubber plantations.

Harbel liberia bridgestone americas said continued and unsustainable losses mandated the layoff of hundreds of workers at its firestone liberia natural rubber plantation in harbel. However the firestone agricultural workers union of liberia accused firestone of increasingly reneging on its promises and said its financial condition did. Firestone natural rubber co the world s largest contiguous rubber plantation in liberia hasn t done enough to stop pollutants from its processing factory entering nearby water sources.