KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Rubber Glove Manufacturers’ Association expects rubber glove exports to grow by 6% this year despite higher raw material prices.
President Oon Kim Hung said Malaysia exported RM5.88bil worth of rubber gloves last year.
“There are increasing demand for rubber gloves from India, China and Vietnam due to increase in health and hygiene awareness,” he said after the opening of the Fourth International Rubber Glove Conference and Exhibition 2008 by Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui yesterday.
A worker collectiing gloves at a factory in Klang.Currently, Malaysia exports rubber gloves to the US, European Union, Latin America, China and India.
Earlier, Chin said the overall prospects for the latex glove industry were still positive despite the challenging times faced by the industry currently.
He said the global demand for gloves had been growing at the rate of 10% annually due to the current world usage of about 65 billion pairs.
“Malaysia continues to be the world’s largest producer, exporting more than 65% of the current global demand for gloves.
“Whether they are producing natural or synthetic rubber gloves, Malaysian manufacturers have endeavoured to ensure that the gloves are of the highest quality and that the barrier performance is not compromised while keeping their production costs low,” he said.
On whether the Government would review the windfall tax imposed on palm oil producers following the decline in crude palm oil prices currently, Chin said the Treasury would decide on the matter. — Bernama
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