KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia’s domestic latex production remains far below the needs of the latex-based product industry, which accounts for 75% of the nation’s rubber-based product exports, according to the Ministry of Plantation and Commodities (KPK).
Currently, locally produced natural latex supplies only about 5% to 10% of industry demand, with the remainder imported mainly from Thailand and Indonesia.“This gap exists because most smallholders in Malaysia produce cup lumps instead of latex, as latex tapping and collection require more labour and infrastructure,” the ministry said in a statement on the Dewan Rakyat portal today.
KPK was responding to a question from Bakri Jamaluddin (PN–Tangga Batu) on the extent to which domestic production can meet industry needs. In 2024, Malaysia produced just 19,274 tonnes of latex, compared with local usage of 215,413 tonnes. To bridge the shortfall, the country imported 220,282 tonnes of latex valued at RM2.33 billion — the primary raw material for latex-based products. Malaysia’s annual latex requirement is estimated at 215,000 to 250,000 tonnes.
The ministry warned that if local output continues to decline, imports will rise further to support downstream industries, particularly rubber glove manufacturing, which remains the largest contributor to the country’s rubber export earnings.
