Japan’s International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will help Vietnam to improve the country’s rubber
industry with a plan to replace synthetic rubber, which is made from fossil fuels, with natural rubber
(NR). The five-year US$3.9 million project involves the Vietnamese government and JICA.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will also coordinate with JICA to implement a fouryear
project that will improve agricultural production and the quality of produce. The US$3.4 million project aims to protect and cultivate safe plants and crop varieties that meet standards that are congruent with the international treaties that Vietnam has signed.
Meanwhile in Indonesia, Japan-based Bridgestone, in collaboration with the National Institute of
Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) and the Indonesian Agency for the Assessment
and Application of Technology, will conduct a cooperative research project on NR. Bridgestone will use its
resources to develop molecular breeding technology to increase the production of latex in the country.