INDONESIA’s rubber exports, as well as selling price to China, the US and Japan have decreased, however the three countries remain its top buyers of rubber, specifically from North Samatra, according to the Secretary of the North Sumatra branch of the Indonesian Association of Rubber Companies (Gapkindo) Edy Irwansyah.
North Sumatra is one of the largest producers and exporters of rubber in Indonesia, which is the world’s second largest producer of the commodity. It exported around 291,446.95 tonnes of natural rubber in the first eight months of the year or slightly lower than 293, 824.97 tonnes in the same period last year.
The decline in rubber demand is due to the weakened economies prevailing in these countries at present, says Edy Irwansyah, Secretary of the North Sumatra branch of the Indonesian Association of Rubber Companies (Gapkindo).