Malaysia to raise issue of rubber price stability at conference

Poised for revitalisation: Rubber tapper based at the Rubber Research Institute Malaysia at Sungai Buloh demonstrating how to tap rubber. The large stretch of rubber plantation there will make way for development under the Greater Kuala Lumpur Strategic Development Project, an initiative under the 10th Malaysia Plan to revitalise the city.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will bring up the issue of the stability in world rubber prices at the coming International Rubber Tripartite Conference to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, on Sept 15.

In a statement, the Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry said Minister Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong would lead the Malaysian delegation to the conference.

The ministry said the issue of volatile global rubber pricing was a huge concern for local industry players which included some 450,000 rubber smallholders.

“It will be one of the main agenda for the Malaysian delegation,” it said.

He said Malaysia was the fifth largest global producer of natural rubber after Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and China in 2016.

Thai Prime Minister General Chatchai Sarikulya and Indonesia’s Trade Minister Drs Enggartiasto Lukita would also attend the conference.

Mah said the Government, via the Rubber Production Incentive Scheme and the improvement of the infrastructure to boost latex collection, aimed to increase productivity and output of natural rubber in the country.

He said the rubber glove industry was also encouraged to use local latex to manufacture their products and reduce imports from neighbouring countries.

The Government has targeted to increase rubber plantation areas by 2020 and the size of the tanned area was also targeted to expand to one million hectares (ha) compared to 670,000ha currently, he said.

“The Government’s continued efforts through the Malaysian Rubber Board’s research and development and automation are expected to boost productivity rates to two tonnes/ha from 1.2 tonnes/ha to ensure continuous supply of raw materials for industrial use,” he said. - Bernama