Rubber Production and Demand Increases

The global demand for natural and synthetic rubber will rise in the next few years, according to figures from the International Rubber Study Group (IRSG) published in the recent issue of Rubber Asia. While demand in the European Union is expected to increase by 1.6 per cent throughout this year, demand in the Asian market will grow by 5.

2 per cent. Asian companies already process half of the total world production of natural and synthetic rubber, almost 20 million tonnes. The IRSG expects world demands to develop by a further 5 per cent in 2005.