Expert says NR demand to grow 3.2% in 2015

Kuala Lumpur – Natural rubber production is set to grow by 3.2 percent this year, Sheela Thomas, secretary general of the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC), has forecast.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of India Rubber Meet 2015 on 4 March, Thomas said that production is expected to rise from 10.63 million tonnes last year, to 11.18 million tonnes in 2015.

Demand for natural rubber is also expected to go up from 7.4 million tonnes last year to 7.8 million tonnes across ANRPC countries, she added.

Thomas also called for improved productivity across rubber-producing nations, including India, where she said holdings were fragmented.

According to Thomas, competition is also becoming an important factor with rubber cultivation areas spreading to West Africa and elsewhere. She said Cote d’Ivoire was a leading example, with Nigeria, Cameroon and Liberia having increasing stakes in rubber cultivation.

The ANRPC is an inter-governmental organisation established in 1970. It comprises Cambodia, China, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. These countries account for 93 percent of the world’s NR production.