Malaysian Rubber Goods Exports Jump As Recovery Takes Hold

The Malaysian rubber product industry recovered in 2010 after a difficult year in 2009, with a 21.5 percent growth in exports, year-on-year, according to new data released by the Malaysian Rubber Export Promotion Council (MREPC).
In 2010, exports of rubber products registered RM12.86 billion (euro 3020 million), surpassing by 14.5 percent the pre- crisis exports recorded in 2008 of RM11.2 billion.
Exports to all regions recorded positive growth in 2010 when compared to 2009. Major increases in exports in 2010 were recorded to Central Asia (78 percent), Eastern Europe (47 percent), South Asia (30 percent), South America (30 percent) and North America (26 percent). The North America region was Malaysia’s largest export destination, taking 30 percent or RM3.9 billion worth of Malaysian exports of rubber products, followed by EU27 with 26 percent or RM3.3 billion, East Asia (14 percent or RM1.7 billion) and ASEAN (9 percent or RM1.1 billion).
All the top ten exported product categories showed growth in 2010 when compared to 2009. Significant increases in exports were registered for rubber gloves (24.8 percent), latex threads (11.8 percent), tyres (29 percent), rubber hoses (44 percent), catheters (45 percent) and condoms (21 percent).
The contribution of the latex sector to total Malaysian exports of rubber products increased significantly to reach a high of 80.3 percent in 2010 or RM10.3 billion from 78.8 percent or RM8.3 billion in 2009.
In 2010, rubber gloves continued to contribute significantly to the total exports of rubber products, registering RM8.9 billion in export value or 69 percent of the total value of all rubber products exported. Significant increases were registered for exports to China (20 percent), USA (27 percent), EU27 (26 percent), Japan (31 percent), Russia (54 percent) and South Korea (63 percent). The markets for rubber gloves continued to be dominated by the USA and EU27, which combined accounted for 67 percent of the total exports of rubber gloves from Malaysia in 2010. The average price of rubber gloves exported increased 5 percent in 2010, year-on-year.
(European Rubber Journal, March 30, 2011)