Kuala Lumpur:Malaysia's natural rubber (NR) production saw a significant rise of 7.3 percent in September 2026, reaching 31,657 tonnes, up from 29,510 tonnes in August 2026.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the year-on-year (y-o-y) comparison shows an 18.8 percent increase from 26,647 tonnes in September 2025. The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) attributes the majority of NR production in September 2026 to smallholders, who contributed 89.5 percent, compared to 10.5 percent from estates.

The DOSM also reported a 5.6 percent growth in total NR stocks, which increased to 142,523 tonnes in September 2026 from 135,016 tonnes in August 2026. The stockpile was primarily held by rubber processing factories at 76.5 percent, followed by rubber consuming factories at 23.4 percent, and rubber estates at 0.1 percent.

In terms of exports, rubber shipments decreased by 11.9 percent to 29,438 tonnes in September 2026, compared to 33,426 tonnes in August 2026. China remained the largest importer of Malaysia's NR, accounting for 33.4 percent of total exports, followed by Germany (18.9 percent), the United States (8.1 percent), Turkiye (6.5 percent), and Portugal (3.7 percent).

The exports of NR-based products were led by rubber gloves, valued at RM1.3 billion in September 2026, which marks a 9.5 percent decline from RM1.4 billion in August 2026. The average monthly price of concentrated latex decreased by 1.1 percent to RM6.81 per kilogram in September 2026, while the average price of scrap improved by 9.1 percent to RM8.56 per kilogram.