Indonesia's rubber exports are expected to fall by at least 8 percent to 2.4 million tonnes in 2016 from 2.6 million tonnes a year ago, the Indonesian Rubber Association said on Thursday. Association chairman Moenarji said exports would decline by at least the 238,000 tonnes that was agreed as Indonesia's contribution under an Agreed Export Tonnage Scheme (AETS) announced with Thailand and Malaysia on Thursday.
"It will definitely decline because people have been cutting (rubber) trees down," he said, adding that his team were monitoring the biological condition of rubber trees. "El Nino is also not over yet," Moenarji added, referring to the weather pattern that has been linked to serious crop damage.