by ASILA JALIL/ pic by BLOOMBERG

NATURAL rubber production for the month of April increased 0.3% to 34,616 tonnes compared to 34,506 tonnes registered in March.

Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM) chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said year-on-year comparison for the production also increased by 2% compared to the same period last year.

According to the monthly rubber statistics, exports for the country’s natural rubber, however, dropped 10.2% to 40,596 tonnes in April against 45,198 tonnes in March.

China was the primary export destination as it constituted 48.9% of total exports, followed by Germany (12.1%), the US (6.2%), Iran (5.3%) and Taiwan (3.5%).

The highest export recorded was for glove items which increased by 11.6% amounting to RM1.98 billion compared to March.

The main export destination for gloves was the US, which recorded an increase of 295.8%, accounting

for 97,905 tonnes in April compared to 24,737 tonnes in March driven by high demand due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The average price of latex concentrate in April fell 5.1% to 413.26 sen per kg versus 435.66 sen per kg in the previous month.

The average price for SMR20 also dropped 8.7% to 472.64 sen per kg in April against 517.45 sen per kg in March.

Stocks of natural rubber increased 0.5% to 321,214 tonnes in April from 319,486 tonnes recorded in March. Domestic consumption amounted to 39,208 tonnes with 35,080 tonnes or 89.5% of the total was utilised for the manufacture of rubber gloves.

As for the remaining amount, 5% was used for rubber thread, 0.8% was used for the manufacture of tyres and tubes, and 4.7% was for other purposes. For the production of natural rubber in April, Malaysia ranked fourth among main producing countries.

Thailand topped the list with an estimated production of 370,400 tonnes, followed by Indonesia (230,000 tonnes) and Vietnam (40,000 tonnes).