January Rubber Production Up 12 Per Cent To 108,892 Tonnes

KUALA LUMPUR, March 15 (Bernama) -- Malaysia produced 108,892 tonnes of natural rubber (NR) in January this year, an increase of 12.3 per cent or 11,890 tonnes from the previous month.

Year-on-year, production rose 48.4 per cent or 35,524 tonnes, the Statistics Department said in its latest rubber statistics summary released on Monday.

It said the estate sector contributed only 5.2 per cent to total production, while the share from the smallholding sector amounted to 94.8 per cent.

As for exports, 69,549 tonnes of NR was shipped in January, which was down by 1.2 per cent when compared with December 2009 but significantly higher by 40.6 per cent when compared with January last year.

Standard Malaysian Rubber (SMR) accounted for 93.6 per cent of total exports with the largest contributor being the SMR 20 which gave 58.3 per cent.

During the period reviewed, 35.4 per cent of the exports of NR was to China, while the share of exports to Germany, Iran, Korea, the United States and Brazil was 10.5 per cent, 8.9 per cent, 6.8 per cent, 4.9 per cent and 3.8 per cent, respectively.

NR imports in January meanwhile amounted to 73,126 tonnes, a decrease by 10.8 per cent over the previous month, but a sharp rise by 68.4 per cent year-on-year.

Latex concentrate was the main type of rubber imported in the month, accounting for 45.0 per cent of total imports.

Domestic consumption of NR during the period was 40,951 tonnes, a decline of 0.2 per cent over December 2009, but up by 19 per cent year-on-year.

Rubber gloves was the major NR consuming industry at 67.0 per cent, followed by tyre and tubes at 10.8 per cent, while rubber thread took up 9.9 per cent.

These three industries together consumed 87.47 per cent of NR in January this year.

At the end of the month reviewed, total stocks of NR held was 194,821 tonnes, an increase of 20.8 per cent over the previous month and 16.1 per cent year-on-year.

The average monthly price of latex concentrate in January was 657.25 sen, an increase of 12 per cent over December 2009 and 70.6 per cent year-on-year.

The price of SMR 20 also showed a similar pattern, increasing by 7.4 per cent to 994,38 sen when compared with December 2009, while year-on-year it showed a substantial increase of 98.5 per cent. It was the highest price level since August 2008.

(bernama.com)