Malaysia's natural rubber production dips in second quarter

Kuala Lumpur – Malaysia's natural rubber (NR) production increased marginally (0.2%) year-on-year in June to just under 30 kilotonnes, figures from the country's ministry of economy show.

Compared to the previous month, output grew 16.8%, with smallholders contributing to 87.6% of production, while total NR stocks fell 8.5% to 160,535 tonnes.

Export shipments fell 21.6% month-on-month to 39,800 tonne, with China remaining the main destination, contributing to 35.7% of exports.

Germany (11.8%), India (11.0%), the United Arab Emirates (6.6%), and the US (6.2%) ranked among the top five export destinations.

Over the three months to end of June, production fell 11.6% sequentially to 76,848 tonnes as compared to 86,944 tonnes in the first quarter of 2024.

Year-on-year, the production figure for the quarter was 0.8% lower compared to the second quarter of 2023.