KUALA LUMPUR, May 8 — Malaysia’s natural rubber (NR) production in March declined 23.3 per cent to 35,961 tonnes from 46,881 tonnes in February.
The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) said the implementation of the movement control order (MCO), as well as the prevailing wintering period, affected the NR production.
It said exports of Malaysia’s NR amounted to 45,198 tonnes, down 12.8 per cent compared with 51,852 tonnes in February.
China was the primary destination for exported NR with a share of 41.8 per cent of the total exports in March, followed by Germany (9.3 per cent), Iran (5.8 per cent), the United States (5.7 per cent), and Brazil (3.3 per cent).
“The highest exports were for glove items with a value of RM1,777.6 million, an increase of 11.9 per cent compared to February,” the DOSM said in its Monthly Rubber Statistics for March.
The DOSM said there was an increase in demand for condoms (21.7 per cent) and tubes (19.3 per cent) valued at RM28.6 million and RM0.8 million, respectively, in the same period.
It attributed the increase in the implementation of lockdown caused by Covid-19.
Meanwhile, stocks of NR continuously increased by 1.4 per cent from 296,328 tonnes in February to 300,448 tonnes in March.
The average price of latex concentrate declined to 435.66 sen per kilogramme (kg) from 456.73 sen per kg in February, while the Standard Malaysian Rubber 20 (SMR 20) dropped to 517.45 sen per kg from 549.68 sen per kg.
Total domestic consumption of NR was 42,244 tonnes, an increase of 1.8 per cent from the previous month.
“The rubber gloves industry dominates the use of NR with a consumption of 34,086 tonnes or 80.7 per cent of the total domestic consumption,” said the DOSM.
— Bernama
