The workshop attracted the participants of Vietnamese rubber producers and exporters and Malaysian businesses who have arrived in HCM City since Jul 9 to seek for investment opportunities in the country.
Addressing the workshop jointly held by the Vietnam Rubber Association and the Malaysian Rubber Board, Michael Dosim Lunjew, Secretary General of the Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities of Malaysia, expressed wish that the two countries’ businesses will share experiences in rubber processing and trading.
Highlighting Vietnam’s rapid expansion of rubber growing areas, the Malaysian official said if Vietnam succeeds in expanding the rubber acreage in the country to 1 million ha by 2015 and 200,000ha in Laos and Cambodia, the country will be able to obtain an output of 1.5 million tons of latex by 2020.
The official said Malaysia expected to import more rubber from Vietnam in order to meet growing demand for rubber of local processing industry.
Last year, Vietnam exported 90 per cent of its total 500,000 tons of rubber, but only 14,000 tons (nearly 3 per cent) to Malaysia.
Dr. Suarni Bin Sumormo from the Malaysian Rubber Board said his country now is standing third in the world in rubber latex output after Thailand and Indonesia. Last year, Malaysia produced around 1.26 million tons of latex from 1.23 million ha.(Vietnam Economic Times, Vietnam & World Economy)