MRB URGED TO DEVELOP CONSOLIDATION PROGRAMME FOR ABANDONED RUBBER PLANTATIONS

KUALA LUMPUR, July 23 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Plantation and Commodities has urged the Malaysian Rubber Board (MRB) to formulate a consolidation programme to develop abandoned rubber plantations to reduce the nation’s dependency on rubber imports.

Its Minister, Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani, said to date, the ministry has identified around 420,000 hectares of abandoned rubber plantations nationwide, with a production potential of over 550,000 tonnes of rubber.

"We have identified all these abandoned rubber plantations. However, there are two problems; the smallholders do not want to give up their plantations, and the rubber plantations are overgrown with weeds and bushes.

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“If we can produce 800,000 to one million metric tonnes of rubber, we can reduce (the dependence on) imported natural rubber, and indirectly, the outflow of money abroad can be reduced," he told reporters after launching MRB’s 2024 Technology Day here, today.

 Johari also highlighted that if the programme is successfully implemented, the country can reduce its dependency on natural rubber imports by 50 per cent in the next 10 to 15 years.

"We imported about RM6 billion worth of natural rubber last year, and maybe (if the consolidation programme is successful), we can reduce it by 50 per cent and even further," he said.

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MRB Technology Day 2024, themed "99 Years of Rubber Research," is organised to introduce and promote the latest technology and innovations in the rubber industry.

MRB director-general Datuk Dr Zairossani Mohd Nor said the programme was attended by all stakeholders in the rubber industry, such as smallholders, licensees, and representatives from industry players.

He said the programmes included the Smallholder Rubber Seminar, Rubber Workshop, and National Economic Rubber Conference 2024 to discuss current issues in the rubber industry.

At the same event, the logo for the 100 years of Rubber Research was also launched, with the introduction of RRIMe-Formulary, the latest innovation from MRB, which offers various dry rubber product formulations such as industrial rubber goods, general rubber goods, and tyre products.

The event also witnessed the signing of a commercialisation agreement between MRB and Bina Integrated Industries Sdn Bhd for a rubber-based paint technology called BINA RUBBERSHIELD to provide additional protection for interior and exterior walls.

Additionally, MRB Technology Day 2024 saw the launch of a book titled 'Glossary of Classification Rubber and Rubber Products,' a collaboration between MRB and the Royal Malaysian Customs Department as a reference for terminology and classifications of rubber and rubber products for industry players, stakeholders, and parties involved in the rubber sector in Malaysia.

-- BERNAMA