KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Member countries of the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries produced 7.952 million metric tons of natural rubber in the first nine months of 2016, according to the September issue of Natural Rubber Trends & Statistics.
This closely matches the 7.954 million tons the 11 countries produced in the first nine months of 2015, according to the ANRPC’s official statistical publication.
Based on actual figures for January-July, preliminary estimates for August and September and anticipated figures for October through December, the ANRPC estimates full year production for 2016 at 11.092 million tons, up 0.5 percent from 2015’s 11.042 million tons
For the nine months, production fell by 6.7 percent in China, 10 percent Malaysia and 8.2 percent Philippines. Production rose 0.6 percent in Thailand and Indonesia, 4.4 percent in Vietnam and India, 6.1 percent in Cambodia and 7.2 percent in Sri Lanka, the ANRPC said.
Total consumption of natural rubber in ANRPC countries rose 3.5 percent during the nine-month period, the association said. All ANRPC countries saw increases in natural rubber use, ranging from 0.8 percent in China and 3.9 percent in India to 12.7 percent in Indonesia and 14.5 percent in Vietnam, it said.
Natural rubber exports from ANRPC countries totaled 6.639 million tons in the nine-month period, up 0.2 percent from the 6.622 million tons exported in the first nine months of 2015, the association said. Exports increased strongly from Thailand (6.6 percent), Vietnam (8.9 percent) and Cambodia (4.1 percent), but fell from Indonesia (-6.4 percent) and Malaysia (-5.6 percent).
Release of the September 2016 Natural Rubber Trends & Statistics came as a prelude to the ANRPC 2016 Annual Rubber Conference, scheduled for Oct. 17 in Guwahati, India.
The one-day conference will feature four talks and two panel sessions on subjects such as emerging economic trends, outlook for global supply and demand, emerging market developments and the expansion of natural rubber production to sub-optimal agro-climatic regions.
