Malaysia plans rubber roads as prices struggle

Feeble demand in an amply supplied market has pushed down rubber benchmark futures to a five-year low, forcing No 2 producer Indonesia to urge suppliers to not sell at less than US$1.50 per kg - AFP Photo.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia plans to build rubberised roads from 2015 in a bid to boost domestic consumption and shore up battered prices of rubber, after a price-floor plan by major producing nations proved tough to implement among farmers desperate for cash.

Feeble demand in an amply supplied market has already pushed down rubber prices to below production costs and sent benchmark futures to a five-year low, forcing No 2 producer Indonesia to urge suppliers to not sell at less than US$1.50 per kilogram.