Secretary general of the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC), Dr Nguyen Ngoc Bich, has revealed natural rubber trends and statistics for February.
During the first two months of 2018, world NR production amounted to 2.207 million tonnes, an increase on 2.116 million tonnes in the same period in 2017.
World demand for NR was 2.014 million tonnes in the first two months of 2018 against 1.999 million tonnes on a year-to-year basis.
NR prices across the key physical markets have been hit by events such as a price fall in crude oil, and the strengthening of the Japanese Yen and global equity market during the first two weeks in February 2018.
Nevertheless, NR prices have showed a sign of improvement with an upward trend in price toward the end of February 2018, followed by a recovery in crude oil price and the global equity market.
Slow production of NR is expected in the coming months in view of the seasonal rubber tree leaf-fall period in most the ANRPC member countries.
March 22, 2018
