KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20 — The Plantation and Commodities Ministry (KPK) has urged all stakeholders to further invest in research, development, and commercialisation of rubber products to enable the adoption of cutting-edge technology and best practices.
Secretary-general Datuk Mad Zaidi Mohd Karli said this will enhance the skills and capabilities of the workforce and ensure the industry will be able to meet the evolving global market demands.
“Furthermore, our strategy also entails the meticulous identification of particular high-potential products in the downstream segment and outlines the critical infrastructure requirements.
“This includes physical, financial, human, and market access. We need to identify promising rubber products with the right tools and resources in place to help them grow,” he said at the opening ceremony of the Malaysian Rubber Council’s (MRC) Commercialisation Match (ComMatch) 2023 here, today.
ComMatch 2023 organised by MRC returns for its second edition from Oct 19 to 22, 2023.
Mad Zaidi added that the ministry is aware of the global shift towards sustainable and eco-friendly products and practices.
“Therefore, we have been working diligently to promote sustainability and environmental responsibility approaches, which are integral to the long-term success of the rubber industry.
“We trust that successful R&D and commercialisation will play a crucial part whereby Malaysia should be the lead in producing more sustainable and eco-friendly rubber products, aligned with the National Agricommodity Policy 2021-2030 goals.
“Malaysia is ready for a new era of growth and diversification in the rubber industry. The government’s commitment to synergising the transformation of the rubber industry value chain is unwavering. We are confident that Malaysia will remain a global leader in the rubber industry.”
Meanwhile, MRC chairman Datuk Seri Mohamad Suparadi Md Noor said the council is fully committed to strengthening R&D and commercialisation in the country, in line with the ministry’s mission to sustain Malaysia as the top exporter of high-quality rubber products.
“Invention is meaningless when it cannot benefit the people and reach the markets and it is the commercialisation that enables us to transform research and ideas into viable products and services that benefit the whole world.
“We hope it can also be one of the channels that could improve the current pricing situation,” he added.
During the event, MRC launched three new initiatives, namely MRC Commercialisation Fund (MCF), MRC Commercialisation Booklet, and MRC Commercialisation Online Matching Platform.
MCF is introduced to support the process of bringing rubber-related R&D outputs to the marketplace for commercialisation and to enhance existing rubber products for re-commercialisation with better properties, functions, and prices.
Both MRC Commercialisation Booklet and MRC Commercialisation Online Matching Platform serve as crucial tools in ensuring that relevant information is accessible to all the industry players to increase the chances of more innovations and new products being commercialised.
Besides the launches, MRC also exchanged a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with MyBIG Sdn Bhd to deploy automated rubber tapping solutions and other relevant technologies at selected rubber plantations in Malaysia.
It also entered into an MoU with Malaysian Eco Rubber Co UK Ltd, a Malaysian-owned international partner for new rubber ventures in the European and Middle Eastern markets.
— Bernama
