KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 15 — The production of natural rubber (NR) decreased by 14.8 per cent month-on-month in November 2020 to 42,554 tonnes from 49,943 tonnes in the previous month.
Year-on-year, the production eased 19.7 per cent, said the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM) in its monthly rubber statistics report for November 2020.
“Exports of Malaysia’s NR amounted to 56,522 tonnes in November 2020, an increase of 3.7 per cent month-on-month (m-o-m) against 54,492 tonnes in October 2020.
“China remained as the main destination for NR exports, accounting for 57.8 per cent of total exports in November 2020, followed by Germany (9.1 per cent), Iran (5.1 per cent), Finland (3.4 per cent), and Turkey (3.4 per cent),” said chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin.
He said rubber gloves were the main export item with the export value increasing by 0.9 per cent m-o-m to RM4.5 billion in November 2020 from October 2020’s RM4.4 billion, with the United States, Germany and China continuing to be among the biggest rubber glove export destinations.
NR stocks improved 0.5 per cent m-o-m in November 2020 to 259,440 tonnes.
“The average price of Standard Malaysian Rubber 20 in November 2020 increased to 632.74 sen per kilogramme (kg) against 621.76 sen per kg in October 2020.
“A similar trend was also observed for the average price of latex concentrate which expanded to 620.76 sen per kg in November 2020 from 576.14 sen per kg in October 2020,” he said.
The DOSM also reported that domestic consumption of NR in November 2020 stood at 44,236 tonnes, a decrease of 8.4 per cent m-o-m.
The rubber gloves industry continued to dominate the use of NR natural, accounting for 33,100 tonnes or 74.8 per cent of the total domestic consumption.
— Bernama
