As early as 1885, Para rubber was planted on tobacco estates near Medan. Although there was no commercial interest in rubber before 1900, in 1905 the Deli Company expanded its rubber plantations. When the soils were ruined by tobacco and coffee, rubber was grown. Planters would also try their luck with rubber when their coffee cultivation failed. In 1906, commercial rubber production began on a large scale in Sumatra’s East Coast. The rise of the automobile industry in the early 20th century, especially in the United States was another factor for the Sumatra rubber boom.
