Strengthening Traceability from Farm to Export: KOLTIVA Equips Rubber Businesses Across Asia Pacific for EUDR Compliance

As global markets enforce stricter sustainability regulations, companies and dealers operating within complex agricultural supply chains face growing pressure to ensure full traceability and compliance. The European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), in particular, has intensified the urgency for rubber exporters, processors, and dealer networks to demonstrate clear segregation and sourcing transparency from farm to factory. 

At Koltiva, we support businesses navigating this transformation by delivering integrated digital traceability tools and robust field-based training. In response, we supported one of the leading rubber processors and exporters in Thailand (and across Asia Pacific) to identify and address critical EUDR readiness gaps across their supply chain. Our objective was to equip dealers and collectors with the systems and training needed to accurately differentiate compliant and non-compliant rubber, while also ensuring smallholders remain included in global trade. 

Problem Identification: Closing EUDR Compliance Gaps Across Dealer Networks and Downstream Supply Chains 

While smallholder engagement remains vital, dealers and processors are equally challenged by EUDR’s stringent due diligence requirements. Working with an extensive dealer network, the company identified three core barriers to compliance:  

• Fragmented and opaque sourcing networks: Natural rubber supply chains are dominated by over 6 million independent smallholder producers globally and involve multiple layers of intermediary traders. As a result, a single processor may source rubber from numerous suppliers with diverse and unverified origins, making it extremely difficult to track the material back to its source or assess sustainability performance and compliance (SPOTT, 2022).   

  
  

• Material mixing at processing facilities: Rubber is frequently mixed together with other compounding ingredients at processing facilities prior to being distributed, adding complexity and opacity to the supply chain (Traceability Matrix, n.d.).

  
  

• Lack of segregation awareness at aggregation points: Rubber dealers, who act as key intermediaries between smallholders and processors, often operate in remote areas with limited access to modern technology. Their role in aggregating rubber from diverse sources requires robust traceability systems, but many lack the skills or equipment to implement digital solutions, hindering compliance with international regulations. 

Strategic Solution:  Enabling Compliance through Digital Traceability and Field Training 

To support EUDR compliance, we deployed a tailored approach combining digital traceability systems and on-the-ground capacity building.  Through KoltiTrace ecosystem, we enabled the client to map farm plots, track sourcing, and document compliance data across the supply chain. Complementing this, KoltiSkills—our capacity building program, localized training and coaching—delivered targeted education to smallholders, dealers, and collectors on EUDR requirements, traceability protocols, and product segregation practices essential for minimizing compliance risks. 

1. Comprehensive Plot Mapping and Risk Assessment

   At the heart of this strategy is the KoltiTrace MIS FarmXtension App, bolstered by KoltiSkills-led field activities. Our field agents, armed with KoltiSkills training, play a pivotal role by:

   
   

   • Bridging Digital Precision with Local Expertise

     Leveraging the FarmXtension App, field agents capture high-precision polygon data. Their local insights ensure that subtle land-use variations and boundary nuances are accurately documented—a critical step for assessing deforestation risk and maintaining EUDR compliance. During this project, we deployed hundreds of field agents within few months to do a comprehensive mapping.

   • Combining Technology with On-the-Ground Legality and Risk Assessments

     While our KoltiTrace MIS FarmXtension mobile app automates geospatial data capture and risk scoring, our boots on the ground perform real-time, on-site verifications against local land and labor regulations. This dual validation approach ensures that each plot undergoes rigorous scrutiny.

     
     

   • Executing a Holistic Engagement Model

     Through a three-tiered engagement strategy that combines top-down socialization with bottom-up field verification, our agents connect with smallholder producers. This continuous on-the-ground engagement not only enriches the data quality but also nurtures long-term relationships within the supply chain.

We implemented a three-tiered engagement strategy designed to ensure robust data verification and build trust across all levels of the supply chain. This model integrated:

1. Top-Down Socialization – Engaging corporate leaders, cooperatives, and dealer networks to align on EUDR requirements and secure commitment to traceability and compliance goals.

2. Mid-Level Capacity Building – Equipping dealers and collectors —key intermediaries in the supply chain—with the tools and training to implement segregation protocols and serve as local champions of compliance.

3. Bottom-Up Field Verification – Mobilizing field agents to work directly with smallholder producers, conducting plot mapping, verifying land legality documents, and providing continuous training.

2. Dealer-Focused Segregation Training and Monitoring

   In the drive for EUDR Compliance, Dealers are a critical yet often underrecognized link. As key aggregation points for rubber sourced from hundreds of smallholder producers, they must be equipped with the tools and knowledge to ensure traceability and enforce segregation protocols—both essential for safeguarding supply chain integrity.

   
   

   To secure EUDR-compliant supply chain segregation, we employed the KoltiTrace MIS FarmGate App to digitize dealer transaction, in conjunction with KoltiSkills-driven field initiatives. Key components include:

   
   

   • Interactive, In-Person Training

     KoltiSkills-trained field agents conduct face-to-face sessions at dealer locations, guiding dealers through the functionalities of the FarmGate App. These sessions ensure that dealers fully understand how to log detailed transactions, quality metrics, and supplier linkages from producers to factories.

     
     

   • Ensuring Accurate Produce Differentiation

     FieldAgents provide hands-on support to help dealers utilize the app’s tagging feature, which clearly differentiates between EUDR-compliant and non-compliant rubber. This meticulous process is critical for maintaining supply chain integrity and ensuring that only compliant materials proceed to EU shipments.

     
     

   • Centralized, Real-Time Monitoring

     Data captured via the FarmGate App is automatically synchronized with the KoltiTrace MIS Web App. Field agents, collaborating with supply chain managers, use the centralized dashboards to continuously monitor compliance metrics, quickly identify issues, and implement corrective measures when needed.

Driving Tangible Business Impact for Rubber Supply Chain in Asia Pacific

Our integrated activities have delivered significant outcomes for clients that strengthen supply chain resilience and regulatory compliance:

• Enhanced Supply Chain Transparency

  Thousands of rubber plots mapped with precision, bolstering overall supply chain transparency

• Robust Smallholder Engagement

  Field agents actively engage with a wide network of smallholder producers through comprehensive field mapping and ongoing socialization efforts.

• Strengthened Dealer Capacity

  Dealers network are trained, equipped, and continuously monitored to ensure strict adherence to EUDR segregation protocols.

• Comprehensive Risk and Legality Assessments

  All mapped plots have undergone comprehensive risk and legality assessments, forming a robust foundation for data-driven compliance.

• Seamless Data Integration

  Real-time connectivity between mobile field applications and centralized web platforms ensure enables proactive monitoring, ensuring quick resolution of any deviations.

• Enhanced EU Market Access

  The unified approach minimizes regulatory risks and builds stakeholder confidence, ensuring sustained access to critical EU markets.

This blend of advanced digital tools and dedicated KoltiSkills-driven field activities transforms supply chain management. By addressing traceability holistically—from farm to export—we have helped our client turn compliance into a competitive advantage. Rather than being sidelined by regulation, they are now positioned as leaders in sustainable sourcing. 

The Power of Pairing Innovation with Human-Centered Implementation

Too often, digital solutions are deployed without understanding the people and processes they are meant to support. Koltiva’s field-driven model ensures that technology adoption is grounded in trust, training, and local context. Our work in the Thai rubber industry proves that with the right tools and expertise:

• Smallholders can remain active participants in international trade

• Dealers can become champions of traceability and compliance

• Exporters can secure their supply chains and meet evolving market standards

In the era of EUDR, it's no longer enough to say your products are sustainable—you must prove it with data and transparency. Our suite of digital traceability tools, combined with real-world training programs, provides a proven roadmap for doing just that. This use case illustrates the power of combining digital innovation with grassroots implementation. Our holistic approach—linking geospatial intelligence with local field knowledge—helps clients not only meet compliance standards but build more transparent, resilient, and competitive supply chains.

Ready to Future-Proof Your Supply Chain?

Koltiva is already supporting businesses across Asia, Africa, and Latin America with EUDR readiness and beyond. Whether you're working with rubber, coffee, palm oil, or cocoa, our integrated solutions are built to scale.

Talk to our experts today to learn how KoltiTrace and KoltiSkills can help you strengthen traceability, protect smallholders, and grow your business in a sustainable way.

Contact Our EUDR Specialists

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Resources:

• Verité. (n.d.). Rubber. Traceability Matrix. https://traceabilitymatrix.org/good/rubber-3/

• Zoological Society of London. (2022, June). SPOTT rubber assessment report: June 2022 update. https://www.spott.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/dlm_uploads/2022/06/SPOTT-Rubber-Report-Singles-Jun-22-update.pdf

Writer: Maria Marshella Gaviota, Marketing Communications

Editor: Daniel Agus Prasetyo, Head of PR and Corporate Communication

About Writer  

Maria Marshella Gaviota, Marketing Communications at Koltiva, blends her marketing expertise with a profound passion for agricultural technology. Armed with a background in marketing and a keen interest in agritech, she offers insights into the convergence of agriculture and technology. Maria's writing prowess in agritech extends to effectively communicating complex agricultural concepts, technological advancements, and their practical applications in the field.