8 April 2010 – Vietnam’s rubber industry is entering a golden era, thanks to the price hikes in the first two months of the year, when Vietnam exported 76,300 tonnes of rubber and earned US$192.7 million, where the volume was down 0.1 percent, but the value was up 87 percent, a Vietnam Rubber Association (VRA) source was quoted by the Vietnam News Summary in a news report carried by Reuters.

It was further reported that at the same period in 2009, because of the economic downturn, rubber production was at a standstill and rubber latex price was around US$1,200 per tonne. Early this year, the price rose to US$3,000 per tonne and now it rises to US$3,300 per tonne, a 300 percent increased year-on-year.

The VRA said that due to proper development strategy, Vietnam’s rubber production has been increasingly sharply over the past three years, from 601,700 tonnes in 2007 to 662,900 tonnes in 2008 and 723,700 tonnes in 2009. Average yield has also increased from 1,612 kg/ha in 2007 to 1,661 kg in 2008 and 1,717 kg in 2009. 

 IRCo