MRB GIVES FULL SUPPORT TO AFRICAN RUBBER INDUSTRY

By Wan Nor Azura Mior Abd Aziz

SUNGAI BULOH (Malaysia), April 1 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Rubber Board
(MRB) is actively supporting the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) on the
enhancement of income for rubber small holders in west and central Africa.

"As a CFC member, we will assure of giving full cooperation in helping
the development of the African rubber industry as well as giving wider exposure
to them," said MRB's newly appointed Director General, Dr Salmiah Ahmad.

She said this to Bernama after the launch of a seminar here Thursday on
"Economically Important Diseases of the Hevea Rubber Tree".

The two-day seminar was organised by MRB with the cooperation of the
International Rubber Research and Development Board (IRRDB).

Salmiah said the seminar was expected to give exposure to smallholders with
the emphasis on nursery establishment and good agronomic practices.

The CFC was established to improve the terms of trade of developing
countries through diversification of their productive capacities, improving
their productivity, value addition and increasing export earnings.

"We have fostered relationships and international cooperation and we will
reduce poverty in many countries with the CFC programme," Salmiah said.

Among the countries participating at the seminar are Cordivo, Ghana,
Cameroon, Ethiopia, Nigeria and several IRDDB member countries, said IRRDB
Secretary General, Datuk Dr Abdul Aziz S.A. Kadir.Abdul Aziz.

"We bring them here because Africa is only producing less than four per cent
of total world production and they have got vast areas of land. As a very
effective poverty alleviator among crops, rubber stands number one," he said.

Salmiah added the CFC funded programme in Malaysia would focus on Hevea
Diseases of Economic Importance such as Corynespora, South American Leaf Blight,
white root disease, pink disease and their control issues.

"We are likely to see an increase in the outbreaks and severity of disease
incidents and pest attacks of economic crops including Hevea caused by climate
change," she said.

It is therefore, important to ensure that the rubber growers are able to
identify important diseases and made aware of preventive and control measures.

"In Malaysia, we promote the concepts of Environmax planting recommendations
where susceptible clones are not planted in areas identified as suitable for
certain diseases," she explained.

--BERNAMA