Malaysia's Rubber Supply: Its Trade Regulation and Integrity

摘要

INTRODUCTIONMalaysia first started commercial cultivation of natural rubber in 1896. The planted area grewvery slowly during the first decade until the first “rubber boom” in 1905-08 and the “secondboom” in 1909-12 which led to rapid expansion in the Far East. Production began to increase,amidst thick and thin,since then to peak at 1.66 million tonnes in 1988 in response to theoutbreak of the AIDS epidemic. This infection had stimulated growth in the dipped goodssector,particularly the manufacture of latex gloves. Thereafter,output began its downtrendsteadily and,three years later,both Thailand and Indonesia overtook Malaysia to become thewodd's first and second largest producers. So much so that from 1995-96 onwards,Malaysiabegan to import rubber at large quantities.The structure of the industry has significantly transformed since the late 1980's from a primarilyraw-material producer to a composite business consisting of three distinct sectors. These arethe production of field materials in the form of cuplumps and fresh latex,an integratedprocessing and trade activities in the mid-stream,and the downstream rubber products andwood-based manufacturing industries. This paper deals with the mid-stream sector withspecial emphasis on rubber trade.