KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 12 ― Natural rubber production rose by 9.3 per cent year-on-year in November 2023 to 30,669 tonnes, contributed by smallholders compared with the estates sector, said the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM).

Chief statistician Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin said in a statement that the smallholders sector contributed 85.3 per cent versus the estates sector’s 14.7 per cent.

On a month-on-month basis, November 2023 natural rubber production was down versus the prior month’s 32,944 tonnes.

Nevertheless, the stock of natural rubber in November 2023 increased by 13.2 per cent to 172,335 tonnes compared to 152,196 tonnes in October 2023, the statement said.

"Rubber processor factories contributed 89.8 per cent of the stocks followed by rubber consumers factories (10.1 per cent) and rubber estates (0.1 per cent),” Mohd Uzir said.

According to November 2023’s Malaysia Rubber Board Digest, the Kuala Lumpur rubber market saw a mixed trend, the statement said.

Overall, the positive sentiment was contributed by China’s stimulus measures and its positive economic target for 2024 amid the prospect of a tight natural rubber supply in Thailand, a major producer.

Meanwhile, Malaysia's natural rubber exports amounted to 51,437 tonnes in November 2023, an 8.9 per cent decrease against October 2023’s 56,460 tonnes.

China remained the main destination for natural rubber exports, accounting for 48.3 per cent of total exports in November 2023 followed by Germany (8.9 per cent), Iran (5.7 per cent), the United States (4.0 per cent) and Pakistan (2.8 per cent).

The export performance was contributed by natural rubber-based products such as gloves, tyres, tubes, rubber threads, and condoms.

Gloves were the main exports valued at RM1.01 billion in November 2023, an increase of 1.0 per cent versus October 2023’s RM1.0 billion. ― Bernama