June 28
Officials of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) and Myanmar Rubber Planters and Producers Association (MRPPA) discussed matters to boost value-added rubber production and promote exports at the UMFCCI’s headquarters on 26 June 2023.
U Aye Win, president of the UMFCCI, said, “I could understand that illegitimate trade hurts the rubber industry. Rubber production sector is the type of agri-based manufacturing business that can create many job opportunities and generate foreign income.” He called for the MRPPA to analyze the suggestions and ideas to bolster rubber production.
Then, he encouraged the MRPPA to hold the state-level rubber conference in order to develop the sector and show the important role of the sector. He also advised them to entice rubber entrepreneurs and traders to join the association with a view to strengthening the membership and enabling the exchange of know-how in the sector. The UMFCCI has been prioritizing the development in domestic agriculture and manufacturing sectors. The UMFCCI has been joining hands with the affiliated members to stimulate the private sector economic growth, U Aye Win added.
U Aung Myint Htoo, chair of the MRPPA, also raised matters concerning the procedures of the association, standard for value-added rubber production, awareness programmes for the growers, links with international associations, rubber products’ criteria according to the requirements of the international tyre factories, standards of the Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS), raw rubber materials found in the domestic market, material characterization, and modeling. He elaborated on closer cooperation with the UMFCCI and export promotion matters as well.
Myanmar’s rubber production is annually estimated at 300,000 tonnes. Seventy per cent of rubber produced in Myanmar goes to China. It is also shipped to Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Viet Nam, the Republic of Korea, India, Japan, and other countries.
Myanmar aims to export about 300,000 tonnes of rubber to foreign markets in the current financial year 2023-2024, according to Myanmar Rubber Planters and Producers Association.
The rubber production in the last FY 2022-2023 reached over 360,000 tonnes and more than 200,000 tonnes of rubber were shipped to foreign trade partners.
Rubber is commonly produced in Mon and Kayin states and Taninthayi, Bago, and Yangon regions in Myanmar. As per 2018-2019 rubber season’s data, there are over 1.628 million acres of rubber plantations in Myanmar, with Mon State accounting for 497,153 acres, followed by Taninthayi Region with 348,344 acres and Kayin State with 270,760 acres.
Myanmar bagged more than US$449 million revenue in rubber exports in the previous financial year 2020-2021. — NN/EM
