The prices of Cambodian natural rubber latex on international markets have risen by more than 10 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter, driven by rising demand from China, according to a senior official of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (The Phnom Penh Post). General Directorate of Rubber head Pol Sopha told The Post on March 16 that China’s “improved economic growth” had boosted demand for rubber in the East Asian country. This has fuelled shipments of Cambodian rubber to the Port of Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam where the selling price of the commodity stands at $1,80 ..read more

After Bangladesh, Tripura, which is the second largest natural rubber producing state in the country after Kerala, has exported it to Nepal, Rubber Board officials said on Monday (SME Times). Rubber Board official Arunabha Majumder said a 18 tonne rubber sheet produced in Tripura was imported by a shoe manufacturing company at Biratnagar in Nepal. "The consignment was flagged off on Saturday and is likely to reach its destination in a week through the Bihar-Nepal border route," said Majumder, who is the General Manager of the Rubber Board promoted marketing company 'Manimalayar Rubbers Pvt. Lt ..read more

Malaysia, the world's biggest rubber gloves manufacturer, is racing to increase production to close a supply gap caused by the coronavirus pandemic that it warns could last until into 2023 (Reuters). The Malaysian Rubber Glove Manufacturers Association (Margma) said on Monday (Mar 15) the country was in an oversold position of 160 billion gloves. "The lead time currently is about seven months for the gloves to be delivered to the end customer," Margma President Supramaniam Shanmugam said, adding that demand would remain robust until the second quarter of 2022. Even with global production expe ..read more

The Malaysian Rubber Council (MRC) expects demand for medical gloves to eventually normalise as the Covid-19 vaccine is expected to be made widely available by the second half of 2021 (Bernama). Chief executive officer Brandon Chan said the outlook for the industry is anticipated to remain positive with economic activities seen to gradually recover in H2 2021. “Ongoing expansion plans by existing and new local players will also support the industry growth,” he said in a statement today. However, he cautioned that the industry may face several challenges this year such as geopolitical risks, r ..read more

The Vietnam Rubber Group (VRG) has announced that it will raise the volume of VRG-branded natural rubber to nearly 323,600 tonnes this year, making up 86 percent of its total exploited output (Vietnam Plus). The rate is expected to hit 92 percent by 2022. The VRG has built a set of standards and introduced VRG-branded rubber products since 2018, bolstering consumption of its products along with Vietnam’s rubber brand in the international market. VRG-branded products reached 255,407 tonnes last year, accounting for 68 percent of the group's total output, from just 20,790 tonnes recorded in 201 ..read more

The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., announced today that in December 2020 succeeded in developing a proprietary system that utilizes AI to predict the physical properties of rubber compounds (Tires and Parts). The system is already being used to design rubber compounds for YOKOHAMA tires. Yokohama Rubber expects the system’s ability to conduct a large number of virtual experiments will enable it to accelerate compound development, reduce development costs, and develop better performing products. The system also will make it easier for less-experienced engineers to create new compounds. The system ..read more

The area under natural rubber in the northeastern States of Tripura and Assam is likely to grow around 20,000 hectares this year with support from the rubber industry, which will join hands with the Rubber Board in an unprecedented partnership that ultimately aims to bring around two lakh hectares under fresh cultivation (The Hindu). Rubber Board sources said that a firm idea about the expansion of area under rubber would evolve by April this year. However, it is expected that fresh planting will begin by July-August. Supply of planting materials is one of the key issues that will be addresse ..read more

With Assam and other states in the Northeast set to expand rubber cultivation in a major way during the next five years, India should be able to substantially reduce its dependence on imports (The Leaflet). Encouraged by the slight decrease in imports between 2018 and 2020, experts believe that the production of natural rubber in short term shouldn’t be a difficult task. At present only around 57 percent of the demand from rubber-based industries is being met by domestic production. Kerala accounts for the highest production where natural rubber is cultivated over an area of 600,000 hectares ..read more

Bridgestone Corporation, a tire and rubber company that has devoted significant resources to ensuring a continuing and sustainable supply of rubber for the future, has developed a system that utilizes big data to contribute to higher yield at rubber farms (Environment All Leader). The mathematical model incorporates a variety of factors, including soil health and disease management, to derive information on which clones of trees should be planted where, when and in what quantity in order to maintain high natural rubber productivity. The data from the new system finds an optimal tree planting ..read more

Despite the difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters that directly affected it, the Việt Nam Rubber Group achieved its revenue and profit targets for 2020 (Vietnam News). It reported after-tax profit of VNĐ5 trillion on sales of VNĐ25.477 trillion (US$1billion). But with COVID-19 still a threat, it expects 2021 to be a difficult year. It has advised its subsidiaries to not stockpile to wait for prices to rise or sell too soon if prices fall. They should work closely together with respect to processing to control quality and make their products consistent. It would foc ..read more