UTCC: Rubber prices won’t bounce back

Domestic rubber prices are likely to stay below 120 baht a kilogramme over the next five years due to the sluggish world economic outlook that has sapped demand. The lingering euro-zone debt crisis, weak growth in rubber-using countries and rising production in Asean will continue to affect the market. Global rubber plantation areas have increased by 14.26% from 2003, or an average of 2.71% per year, noted a study by University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce’s Center for International Trade Studies on the future of the Thai rubber industry in the Asean Economic Community (AEC)… Within Asean, Indonesia leads in plantation areas with 21.93 million rai in 2011, followed by Thailand (11.76 million rai), Malaysia (6.58 million rai), Laos (1.69 million rai), Cambodia (1.29 million rai) and Myanmar (880,000 rai). …

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/economics/308754/utcc-rubber-prices-won-t-bounce-back