KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 18 (Bernama) — Malaysia has proposed a minister-level meeting among Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC) member countries in the first quarter of next year to discuss supply and demand side policies to maintain prices at sustainable levels.
“ANRPC member countries contribute nearly 93 per cent of the world’s natural rubber output,” Plantation Industries and Commodities Deputy Minister Datuk Noriah Kasnon said in reply to a question from Dr Mohd Hatta Md Ramli (PAS-Kuala Krai) at the Dewan Rakyat here today.
Noriah said Malaysia will join Indonesia and Thailand at the International Tripartite Rubber Council (ITRC) meeting on Nov 20 to discuss the steps they need to take to curb the slump in rubber prices.
Noriah said under Budget 2015, the Malaysian Rubber Board will allocate RM100 million to implement a regulatory price mechanism at farm level and provide RM6.4 million in soft loans for smallholder cooperatives to buy rubber directly from smallholders.
“These two mechanisms could help smallholders weather the impact of falling rubber prices on their incomes,” she said, adding the ministry is also playing a a role by lowering seedling and fertiliser prices, providing tapping tools, enhancing agricultural infrastructure and implementing a smallholders cost of living assistance scheme (SHPK).
– mysinchew.com
