Natural rubber has a wide range of applications and my country’s output is gradually declining

Natural rubber is mostly collected from rubber trees and is an elastic solid made through multiple processes such as rubber collection, purification, coagulation, cleaning, and granulation. After years of development, the types of natural rubber have gradually increased. According to different product forms, it can be roughly divided into concentrated latex, solid natural rubber, etc. Among them, solid natural rubber can be subdivided into smoked rubber, air-drying film, Zou film and other standard rubbers such as WF, CV and L.

The downstream application fields of natural rubber in my country are very rich, and it is mostly used to make gloves, hoses, tires, rubber shoes, adhesives and other products. At present, tires have become the largest application area of ​​natural rubber. In recent years, as my country’s economic level has gradually improved, cars have become one of the daily means of transportation for residents, and the market penetration rate has gradually increased. Against this background, my country’s automobile production and sales have gradually increased. According to data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, my country’s automobile production and sales in 2022 will be 27.021 million and 26.864 million vehicles respectively, a year-on-year increase of 3.4% and 2.1% respectively. As an important component of automobiles, tires have a certain impact on their market. However, due to the impact of the epidemic, the operating rate of my country’s tire companies has gradually decreased, resulting in a gradual decline in their output. According to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics, my country’s cumulative tire production in 2022 will be 856.003 million units, a year-on-year decrease of 5.0%. Natural rubber is the main raw material for the production of tires, and its market has been affected to a certain extent.

According to the “China Natural Rubber Industry Import and Export Market Analysis and Research Report 2023-2027” released by the Industrial Research Center, as my country With the deepening of industrialization, natural rubber, as a basic industrial material, has a huge market demand. However, due to factors such as climate and geographical environment, the only provinces and cities in my country suitable for natural rubber planting are Hainan, Yunnan and parts of Guangdong. And since my country’s land resources have been basically developed, it is difficult for the natural rubber planting area to increase. Coupled with the impact of the epidemic, the operating rate of my country’s natural rubber companies has gradually declined, and their output has gradually declined. According to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics, my country’s natural rubber output will be 818,400 tons in 2022, a year-on-year decrease of 3.8%.

Industry analysts said that at present, there is a large gap between my country’s natural rubber market demand and production, and large quantities of natural rubber still need to be imported from abroad. Imports fill the gap. According to data from the General Administration of Customs, in 2022, my country’s natural rubber import volume will be 2.6363 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 10.5%; the import value will be 4.028 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 4.4%. From the perspective of import source countries, the main importing countries of natural rubber in my country are Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Cote d’Ivoire, Vietnam, Myanmar, etc. Among them, Thailand accounts for the largest import volume, accounting for 43.2%; followed by Laos, accounting for 10.8%; and Malaysia ranks third, accounting for 10.5%.