KUALA LUMPUR: The government is mulling over the idea of establishing the long-awaited Malaysian Sustainable Natural Rubber (MSNR) guideline soon.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said the guideline, which was initially announced in 2020, should be ready by now.
"The implementation would assist the rubber industry, especially the smallholders.
"This is because 90 per cent of them populates the local rubber production industry," said the Plantation and Commodities Minister.
He said the guideline is not only looking at the environment perspective, but also the economic and wellbeing of the smallholders too.
"We are trying to bridge the income gap and also eradicate poverty amongst the small holders. We want sustainable development," he said when met by newsmen after officiating the International Rubber Research & Development Board (IRRDB) 2023 International Rubber Conference here today.
Also present were IRRDB secretary general Datuk Seri Dr Abdul Aziz Sheikh Abdul Kadir, and Malaysian Rubber Board (MRB) director general Datuk Zairossani Mohd Nor.
The two-day event is participated by delegates from over 20 countries including China, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Nigeria, Philippines, and Sri Lanka.
In his officiating speech, Fadillah said the country's rubber industry export was at RM 47.6 billion, representing 3.1 per cent of its total export earnings last year.
Currently, he said Malaysia is the world's largest producer and exporter for rubber gloves and ranked seventh as the main natural rubber producer.
"Although currently the production of rubber in Malaysia is declining in the upstream sector, it is still contributing significantly to the country's gross domestic product (GDP) and export revenues in the downstream sector," he added.