Malaysia exported more than RM4 billion worth of rubber gloves in the first quarter of 2017, showing a 26% increase compared to the first quarter of 2016, which recorded RM3.2billion in sales.
The country’s rubber products are currently exported to more than 195 countries while exports have increased more than threefold from RM5.4billion in 2000 to RM18.2billion in 2016, according to Malaysia’s Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong.
He said that out of the total exports for rubber products, RM13.3billion, or 73%, was contributed by rubber gloves.
“Malaysia has remained a world leader in rubber glove exports for the last two decades, capturing over 60% share in the global market. Between 2012 and 2016, the export of rubber gloves increased at an average rate of 6% annually,” he said.
“The growth momentum is expected to continue in 2017 to reach RM14.1bil in exports,” Mah told reporters after launching the “Donation of One Million Gloves” initiative by the Malaysian Rubber Export Promotion Council (MREPC) with the support of the Perak Health Department and TelukIntan General Hospital at the TelukIntan Leaning Tower Square in Perak.
At the event, he presented a token for one million gloves to department director Datuk Dr. Hassan Merican.The donated gloves will be channelled to hospitals, clinics, dental clinics and other healthcare facilities in the state.
Mah said it was the second series of MREPC’s glove donation programme.“We started the programme last year with one million gloves that were distributed to hospitals and clinics in Sarawak,” he added.
He also said the per capita consumption of gloves in Asia is relatively low at about 5.5 pairs per year on average, compared to 75 pairs in the United States and 50 pairs in Europe.
Consumption per capita of medical gloves in China is currently at three pairs while in Malaysia, it is about 10 pairs per year for one consumer, he added.
“The market potential in Asian countries for the products, especially China, is huge.In Malaysia, some agencies use imported gloves and they should use Malaysian gloves because these are of world standard and affordable, too.”
Mah said MREPC has introduced the Glove Awareness Programme to reach the healthcare community as well as the public on the importance of using gloves in the healthcare environment.