NR output set to grow 5.2% in 2015

Crain News Service report

KERALA, India (March 9, 2015) — Natural rubber (NR) production is set to grow 5.2 percent this year, according to the latest forecast from the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC).

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of India Rubber Meet 2015 in Keral, Sheela Thomas, secretary general of the ANRPC, said production is expected to rise to 11.2 million metric tons from 10.6 million tons last year.

Demand for NR is expected to rise 5.4 percent to 7.8 million tons, she added.

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

Competition is also becoming an important factor with rubber cultivation areas spreading to West Africa and elsewhere, she said, citing Cote d'Ivoire as a leading example, with Nigeria, Cameroon and Liberia having increasing stakes in rubber cultivation, as well.

The ANRPC is an inter-governmental organization comprising countries that account for 93 percent of the world's NR production: Cambodia, China, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.