Chinese Market Favours Malaysian NR

The Chinese market seems to favour Malaysia’s natural rubber (NR) and is attracting increased interest from players in the Malaysian rubber products industry, according to the Malaysian Rubber Board (MRB). The MRB recently organised a trade delegation visit to China and revealed details about business between the two far eastern countries.

The MRB explained that Malaysian rubber was well-known in China for its good quality. China imports about 1.4 million tonnes of NR per year, and this year, Malaysia’s NR exports to China are projected to increase to 350,000 tonnes from 290,000 last year.

Malaysian Rubber Products Manufacturers Association (MRPMA) vice-president Lim Sum Teck, who was a member of the MRB trade delegation, told Malaysia’s The Star newspaper: “We were on a fact-finding mission as many of our members are looking at China for more potential joint-venture opportunities and new contacts.”

The trade mission, which took place in September is believed to be the first such official visit by local rubber industry players in 10 years. Delegation members report that the event was a success with Chinese rubber traders and buyers reportedly expressing keen interest and continued support for Malaysia’s NR and rubber-based products.

The world’s three largest rubber producers – Thailand (3 million tonnes), Indonesia (2 million tonnes) and Malaysia (1.1 million tonnes) – account for almost 70 per cent of the total world rubber production, according to The Star.