Rubber industry in Malaysia
As of 2017, Malaysia is the fifth largest producer and exporter of natural rubber (NR).[1][2] They are the leader in the production and export of rubber products.[1] They are also the largest consumer of natural rubber.[1]
Malaysia contributes to 46 percent of total rubber production in the world and produces about 1-5 million tons of rubber annually.[3] The production of rubber has declined from the 1990s which used to be 615222 tonnes.[4]
Rubber manufacturers in Malaysia include local smallholders, plantations, multinationals and joint ventures with the United States, Europe, and Japan.[5] Malaysia has a total rubber area of 1.07 million hectares, out of which 7.21 percent is owned by plantation companies.[2] Ninety percent of production is accounted by smallholders who generally hold less than 40 acres of agricultural land.[4][2] These statistics remain a major concern for the industry as these smallholders tend to move to other economic activities when the rubber price goes down.[2]
The R&D infrastructure developed by Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia and Malaysian Rubber Board has made significant contributions and serves as the most comprehensive R&D set up for a single commodity. Malaysia also produces specialty rubber such as the epoxidized natural rubber (Ekoprena) and deproteinized natural rubber (Pureprena) that can be used in green tires and high-performance engineering products to capitalize on the growing preference for natural and renewable materials.[2]
Rubber grades supplied by Malaysia include:
- SMR - Standard Malaysian Rubber
- ENR, DPNR, and TPENR
- Low Protein Latex[5]
References
- "INSIGHT ALPHA". insightalpha.com. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
- "Malaysia For Model Sustainable Rubber Industry - Dr Zairossani bin Mohd Nor, Director General, MRB - Rubber Asia". Rubber Asia. 2017-11-28. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
- "Plantation And Rubber Industries Of Malaysia Of Malaysia Economics Essay". www.uniassignment.com. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
- Hays, Jeffrey. "RUBBER IN MALAYSIA | Facts and Details". factsanddetails.com. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
- MREPC. "MREPC". MREPC Official Website. Retrieved 2018-07-20.