Malaysia Exports US$4.2 Bln Rubber Products To Over 195 Countries

KOTA KINABALU (Sabah, Malaysia), Aug 17 (Bernama) -- Malaysia exported rubber products to over 195 countries worth US$4.23 billion (RM18.2 billion) last year, said Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, Datu Nasrun Datu Mansur. (US$1 = RM4.29) He said of the total exports, US$3.09 billion (RM13.3 billion), or 73 per cent, were rubber gloves. "Our country is the largest exporter of rubber gloves, with almost 60 per cent of the world's total market," he told reporters after launching the programme to contribute one million gloves to the State Health Department here Thursday. According to Datu Nasrun, rubber glove exports next year were expected to increase based on the positive performance. "In the first five months of this year, the exports rose to US$1.58 billion (RM6.8 billion), or 28.3 per cent, compared to US$1.22 billion (RM5.28 billion) in the same period last year," he said. Datu Nasrun said the US was the biggest importer of the country's gloves of 30 per cent. He said the use of gloves was one of the indicators that a country's health service level was high. "The use of medical gloves in Malaysia is estimated at nine pairs per person per year compared with the US and European countries of 80 pairs and 50 pairs respectively," he said. -- BERNAMA