KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 (Bernama) -- The government is looking to review the Standard Malaysian Rubber (SMR) Specification Scheme to ensure that the over 40-year rubber grade remains relevant to current demands and is competitive.
Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Tan Sri Bernard Dompok said over the last four decades, the SMR Specification Scheme had transformed the country's natural rubber industry into a modern and technology-based sector, which produces technically specified rubber (TSR).
He said SMR is an internationally recognised brand name and the SMR standard is adopted by many other natural rubber producing countries.
However, the scenario had changed over the years and the country is now the third largest natural rubber producer while becoming less competitive as a producer in view of higher production costs, he said at the seminar on Standard Malaysian Rubber-New Dimensions here Tuesday.
"It is appropriate time for us to review our marketing strategy and seek to explore other ways of extracting value out of the goodwill and branding attached to the SMR that we produce. One particular aspect, may be for us, to review the SMR Specification Scheme," he said.
The SMR Specification Scheme was first launched in 1965. Since then, the scheme has undergone several revisions to accommodate technological advancements, changes to supplying materials and to satisfy consumer requirements.
The last revision was made in 1991.
Dompok is also confident that SMR producers in the country are in better position to re-strategise by shifting from processing standard block rubbers to other value-added rubbers such as specialty and new modified rubbers that are ready to be used by manufacturers of rubber products.
He also urged the midstream sector to be more efficient and competitive.
"This sector should no longer be associated with the perception of a dirty and low income industry. The rubber processors should utilise advanced processing tecnologies to achieve high productivity and cost effectiveness," he said.
Meanwhile, the seminar was organised by the Malaysian Rubber Board (MRB) to address the current issues and status of the SMR Specification Scheme, including issues of raw rubber supply and environmental concerns faced by the industry.
At the seminar, Dompok also launched an innovative machine, the RRIM Rapid DRC, developed by the MRB for dry rubber content (DRC) determination of cup lumps.
The machine is capable of determining DRC rapidly and accurately.
(bernama.com)
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