The consumption of natural rubber went through difficulties in 2017 with the lack of raw material still in the first half of the year. According to the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC), this shortage generated a deficit in the world supply in the order of 648 thousand tons in the month of July. However, even in the face of these obstacles, the sector closed the year with a surplus of 440 thousand tons, which brought the world stock to close to three million tons.
According to the executive director of the Paulista Association of Rubber Producers and Manufacturers (Apabor), one of the most strategic factors for the sector today is the concentration of rubber consumption in South-East Asian countries, which sought to export more processed and less processed products commodities. “This trend needs to be evaluated. The importation of raw material is an important factor for the elaboration of the strategic plans for natural rubber in the world, mainly in Brazil that despite being a rubber producing country is not self-sufficient. It is necessary to stimulate production throughout Latin America to expand and guarantee the supply of the material, “says Esperante.
To confront the difficulties of the segment, the Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock of Brazil (CNA), met rubber producers to seek alternatives in the short, medium and long term, in order to increase the competitiveness of Brazilian natural rubber. According to Walter Rezende, president of the National Commission of Silviculture and Agroforestry of CNA, Brazil produces 30% of rubber used in the country, while the other 70% are imported from countries in Asia. Thus, there is a need for the federal government to create measures to balance competition between Brazil and these countries in the domestic market.
“The efforts of all institutions linked to natural rubber production is to find solutions that meet producers and industry, since production costs, environmental and labor laws in Brazil are more restrictive to production. The actions proposed by the sector aim at reducing costs, increasing productivity and value added in production. We need to generate more competitiveness and increase the production of Brazilian rubber, “says Walter. Against the crisis, in June, in the city of São Paulo, Expobor – 13th International Fair of Technology, Machinery and Artifacts in Rubber.