Rubber Journal Asia

Malaysia to double rubber output
As the third largest producer of natural rubber or NR, Malaysia lags behind other producing countries. But the government has announced plans to double its NR production to 1.8 million tonnes by 2020.

This was said by Bernard Giluk Dompok, the Malaysian Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, recently.

Malaysia produced 846,900 tonnes of natural rubber in 2009 and expected production in 2010 to increase by 5.9% to 900,000 tonnes. To meet the production target the planned strategy is to increase productivity by 1.8 tonnes/ha/year by 2020, from the current level of about 1.4 tonnes/ha/year and also expansion of hectarage to 1.2 million ha with a tappable area of 1 million ha, from the current hectarage of 1 million ha with a tappable area of about 0.7 million ha.

The plan also envisages increasing rubber replanting to 40,000 ha/year from the current 20,000 ha, expanding existing rubber plantations and opening new rubber areas, especially in the states of Sarawak and Sabah.

Other plans are to convert idle lands into rubber plantations. It also include increasing and maintaining tapping to 26 days a month and raising the number of trees per ha to 550 from the current 350-400 trees per ha.

The country is also aiming to improve its downstream rubber products industry since currently almost 80% of exports consist of latex dipped rubber goods.