The Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC) releases the Natural Rubber Trends & Statistics, February 2018. 

From Secretary-General's Desk

During the first two months of 2018, the world natural rubber (NR) production amounted to 2.207 million tonnes, increase from 2.116 million tonnes during the same period in 2017. The world demand of NR stood at 2.014 million tonnes during the first two months of 2018 against 1.999 million tonnes on a year-to-year basis. The NR prices across the key physical markets have been hit followed by the events such as price fall in crude oil, strengthening of Japanese Yen and global equity market during the first two weeks in February 2018. 

Nevertheless, the NR prices have showed a sign of improvement and posted an upward trend in price towards the end of February 2018, followed by a recovery in crude oil price and the global equity market. Slow production of NR is expected in the coming months in view of seasonal rubber trees leaf-fall period in most of ANRPC member countries.

With the objective of providing updated trends and emerging developments in natural rubber sector, ANRPC provides through this issue of Natural Rubber Trends and Statistics, the figures of supply and demand for NR during the period up to February 2018 and the anticipated annual figures for the year 2018, covering all ANRPC Member Countries. 

Before I conclude, I place on record sincere gratitude of the ANRPC to its statistical correspondents in Member Governments for timely making available required data and forecasts. I also thank all esteemed subscribers of the publication for the continued support.

Thank you. 

Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Bich
Secretary-General