MALAYSIA: Rubber industry has growth potential

The Malaysian Rubber Board (MRB) will continue to explore new technologies to ensure continued demand for rubber and capitalize on green inventions as a potential export generator to lift the Malaysian economy.

The rubber industry still has potential to move forward leveraging on science and technology innovation, says Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Mah Siew Keong.

He said the industry will continue to be an important sector in the country due to its growth potential as well as being an income source for some 440,000 rubber smallholders.

“As such, the government will ensure that the price of the commodity will continue to be high by creating more value added products to boost the demand for and usage of rubber,” he said.

On 2017’s outlook, Mah said rubber exports will continue to be strong especially for rubber products, adding with the new rubber technologies, the outlook for the industry would be positive.

Malaysia exported about MYR 18 billion worth of rubber products in 2015, with the value as of October 2016 at MYR 14.87 billion, he added.

Source: “Bernama” (National News Agency of Malaysia), Kuala Lumpur; 16 Dec 2016

(Syed Rashid Ali, Karachi, Pakistan)