Malaysia natural rubber output slides 15.8% in February

KUALA LUMPUR (Commodity Online): Malaysia’s natural rubber output for February dropped 15.8% to touch 91,449 tons.
This is a dip from 108,625 tons recorded in January, but a climb of 12.9% Y-O-Y output from 81,031 tons.
Total stocks for end of February stood at 191,538 tons up 7.2% over January. But this is 1.1% lower at 193,685 tons over same period previous year.
Small holders of rubber contributed 94.2% of February production while the estate sector accounted for the rest.
Exports slid 10.9 per cent to 69,638 tons in February from 70,551 tons in January. This February figure is higher from 50,362 tons recorded in the same period last year.
In January, to promote rubber cultivation in Malaysia, the Malaysian Rubber Board (MRB) had established two pivotal facilities.
MRB Similajau Station and Malaysian Rubber Budwood Centre (MRBC), are touted the first of their kind.
The station’s functioning is to facilitate technology transfer of new clones and agronomic practices, through various supply systems and training measures, while MRBC shall produce 3.24 million rubber budwoods a year.
Similajau Station, spread across 1,180ha and the MRBC covering 45 ha are widely expected to boost rubber cultivation in Sabah and Sarawak; two other provinces in Malaysia where the government intends to plant high-yielding rubber trees in 300,000 ha and 500,000 ha respectively by 2020.

(Source: http://www.commodityonline.com/news/Malaysia-natural-rubber-output-slides-158-in-February-38124-3-1.html)