MRC: Rubber exports surge 150 pct to RM44.43 bln in 1H2021

The Malaysian Rubber Council (MRC) said downstream rubber products exports -- which comprised 89.7 per cent of the total rubber industry's exports -- had soared by 180.2 per cent y-o-y, driven by the strong performance in latex goods, particularly gloves products.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, exports of latex goods such as rubber gloves, latex threads and condoms skyrocketed by 200.1 per cent.

"In 1H2021, latex goods accounted for 93.9 per cent of the exports of rubber products, while dry rubber products accounted for the remaining 6.1 per cent.

"Gloves products remained the largest export income churner for the rubber industry. Comprising mainly medical gloves, the gloves subsector expanded by more than three-folds or 210.2 per cent to RM36.54 billion in 1H2021," MRC said in a statement today.

From a contraction in 1H2020 due to the pandemic, the dry rubber products sector rebounded to record an outstanding growth of 38.2 per cent to RM2.41 billion in 1H2021 from RM1.75 billion in 1H2020.

The dry rubber products sector includes tyres, industrial rubber goods, general rubber goods and footwear.

Tyres -- the largest exported product in the dry rubber products segment -- rose by 43.2 per cent to RM840 million in 1H2021 from RM580 million in 1H2020.

Exports of industrial rubber goods -- comprising products for the automotive, mining and construction sectors -- improved by 44.2 per cent to RM610 million in 1H2021.

Meanwhile, MRC expects the global demand for rubber gloves to maintain a double-digit growth of between 12 per cent and 15 per cent in 2021.

"The global per capita consumption of rubber gloves is expected to increase to 25 pairs in 2021, driven by higher usage of gloves in Malaysia's major export markets such as the United States and Europe as well as large emerging markets, particularly in the Asian region.

"The country's rubber glove industry will maintain its positive momentum and exports are expected to reach a new high for the full year of 2021," it said.

On another note, MRC chief executive officer Nurul Islam Mohamed Yusoff said the council has initiated the Malaysian Rubber Products Virtual Showcase (MaRViS) to further facilitate online business engagements between international buyers and Malaysian rubber product manufacturers.

The first phase of MaRViS is expected to go live in September 2021 and the official launch of the online platform is expected to take place in January next year.

Meanwhile, the MRC, the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) and the Malaysian Timber Council (MTC) have commenced preparations to set up the Malaysian Agricommodities Regional Office in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The establishment of the office would help to boost the export value of the rubber industry and would also help pave the way for the rubber products industry to penetrate new markets in the Middle East, said MRC.