Malaysia Natural Rubber Output Up 15.3 Pct To 87,957 Tonnes In January

Malaysia’s natural rubber (NR) production rose by 15.3 per cent to 87,957 tonnes in January from December last year, the Statistics Department said today.

NR production for January also rose 3.3 percent from the same period last year.

The department said a total of 93.1 percent of NR production was contributed by the smallholdings sector and the remaining 6.9 percent by estates.

The highest producer of NR on estates was Kedah (23 per cent), followed by Negeri Sembilan (20.1 percent) and Perak (16.3 percent).

Total exports of NR in January decreased 8.6 percent to 68,296 tonnes compared with the previous month, but, increased 20.8 percent from the samemonth last year.

In a statement, the Department said Standard Malaysian Rubber (SMR) contributed 95.3 percent to exports, while that of SMR 20 was 56.2 percent.

NR was mainly exported to China (45.8 per cent), followed by Germany (12.2 percent), the United States (4.3 per cent), Brazil (four per cent), Korea (3.8 percent), Belgium (2.5 per cent) and Turkey (2.3 percent).

The import of NR for the month under review increased by 9.9 percent from December last year and was up by 67.6 percent from January last year.

The main suppliers of NR were Thailand (53.7 per cent) and Vietnam (18.3 percent), who accounted for 72 percent of the total imports.

Domestic consumption of NR was 37,644 tonnes in January, down by 0.5 percent from the previous month, but 7.2 percent higher year-on-year.

The highest consuming industry of NR was the rubber gloves industry with a total of 27,246 tonnes (72.4 percent), followed by rubber thread (eight percent) and tyres and tubes (6.8 percent).

The three industries consumed more than half the overall domestic consumption in the country at a total of 32,809 tonnes or 87.2 percent.

The level of NR stocks in January was recorded at 188,100 tonnes, an increase of 19,023 tonnes or 11.2 percent month-on-month and 35,714 tonnes or 23.4 percent year-on-year.

For the month under review, the average monthly price of latex concentrate was 614.2 sen per kg, up 37.22 sen or 6.5 percent from December 2012.

Nevertheless, the price of latex concentrate was 57.06 sen or 8.5 percent lower from January last year.

The productivity of NR production on estates was 146.2 kg per hectare in January, an increase of 15.2 kg per hectare or 11.6 percent from December 2012 and 2.2 kg per hectare or 1.5 percent year-on-year.