KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 15 — Malaysia’s rubber production shrank by 5.9 per cent year-on-year to 397,486 tonnes in the first 10 months of this year from 422,324 tonnes previously, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia.
The natural rubber (NR) output in October 2021 amounted to 43,127 tonnes, which was a 13.6 per cent drop from 49,943 tonnes in the same month last year but an increase of 4.7 per cent against the 41,180 tonnes recorded in September 2021, the agency said.
Chief statistician Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin said NR production in October was 90.5 per cent contributed by smallholders while the rest came from the estates sector.
Total NR stocks fell 3.6 per cent in the month to 281,723 tonnes from 292,312 tonnes in September 2021.
Meanwhile, he said Malaysia’s NR exports amounted to 62,167 tonnes in October, down 0.3 per cent from September’s 62,332 tonnes.
China continued to be the biggest importer of Malaysian rubber for the month, accounting for 56.8 per cent, followed by Pakistan (3.2 per cent), the United States (3.0 per cent), Iran (2.7 per cent) and Germany (2.1 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 among rubber-based products with a value of RM2.6 billion in October 2021, a decrease of 15.0 per cent compared to September 2021 (RM3.1 billion),” he added. — Bernama
