Primary Industries Minister To Lead Delegation To Rubber Industry Meeting In Bangkok

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 21 (Bernama) -- Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok will be leading the Malaysian delegation to the special ministerial meeting at the International Tripartite Rubber Council (ITRC) 2019 to be held in Bangkok, Thailand on Feb 22. The ministry said issues related to the sustainable development of the natural rubber (NR) industry and the measures needed to strengthen NR prices for the well-being of rubber smallholders would be discussed at the meeting. Additionally, Secretary-General Dr. Tan Yew Chong would be attending the ITRC senior officers’ meeting on Feb 21. “2018 is a challenging time for the rubber industry due to low NR prices influenced by factors such as an unstable global market, fall of petrol prices, a weak ringgit compared to the US dollar, and the ongoing US-China trade war,” the ministry said in a statement Thursday. The ITRC, comprising Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia, was established in 2001 to foster cooperation between the major NR producing countries and to stabilise the commodity’s price. -- BERNAMA