WASHINGTON: Cambodia’s rubber exports grew by 20 percent to about 60,000 tons in the first six months of 2016, compared to the first six months of 2015, while prices for Cambodian rubber on the global market increased 3 percent, according to Pol Sokha, director of the Agriculture Ministry’s rubber department. Mr. Sokha said the rise in exports was caused by more land being used for rubber production.
“Cambodia is a rubber-exporting country, not rubber-consuming one, and so when the land area for growing rubber increases, more rubber is produced and all of that is exported,” he said. Statistics on the total number of hectares in rubber production are due to be released next month, he said.
The export price for Cambodian natural rubber increased to about $1,330 per ton on average during the first half of the year, up from $1,290 a year earlier, Mr. Sokha said. He credited the increase to a decision by the three main rubber exporting countries—Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia—to reduce exports and said it was a welcome change after a long slump that had sucked profits from the domestic industry.
