Malaysia's natural rubber production slumps 22 pct in September

Malaysia's natural rubber production in September plunged 22 percent month-on-month to 49,022 tonnes, official statistics showed Tuesday.

Malaysian Statistics Department said in a statement that the production for the month fell 6.1 percent on year-on-year basis.

The country's natural rubber exports in September fell 9.2 percent month-on-month to 52,365 tonnes.

China remains its key export market, accounting for 49.4 percent of its total exports.

Domestic consumption of natural rubber in September also dropped 4.1 percent month-on-month to 41,219 tonnes, with the rubber glove industry remaining the main consumer by using 76.3 percent of the total natural rubber domestic consumption.

Stock of natural rubber in September stood at 179,844 tonnes, down 2.3 percent from 184,051 tonnes at the end of August.