Natural rubber produced by seven key countries is forecast to edge up 2 percent to 8.09 million tonnes in 2007, thanks mainly to a rise in Vietnam's production, an industry report showed on Saturday.
The report compiled by the Kuala Lumpur-based Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries said output from Vietnam would rise 7.4 percent to 580,000 tonnes in 2007 from 540,000 tonnes estimated for this year.
Global natural rubber output is forecast to edge up 1.9 percent to 9.2 million tonnes in 2007 from 9.03 million tonnes projected for 2006, said the report made available at a regional rubber conference in Ho Chi Minh City on Saturday.
"Natural rubber is not expected to expand substantially overall among the member countries," is said, adding that output rises in Indonesia and Vietnam were exception.
Members of the association comprising India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam are forecast to produce 7.93 million tonnes this year, from 7.62 million tonnes, or 87.3 percent of the world's total, in 2005.