PHNOM PENH: Cambodia exported 85,428 tonnes of dry rubber in the first four months of 2024, an increase of 3.7 percent from 82,359 tonnes in the same period last year, a report of the General Directorate of Rubber at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries showed.

The Kingdom generated US$125 million from the dry rubber export from January to April 2024, up 7.4 percent from US$116.4 million recorded in the same period last year, it added.

Dry rubber costs averagely US$1,465 per tonne, US$51 higher than that during the first four months of 2023, stated the report.

The country exports the commodity mainly to Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, and China.

According to the report, Cambodia has so far planted rubber trees on a total area of 407,172 hectares, of which 320,184 hectares, or 79 percent, are old enough to be tapped.

Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet, Prime Minister of Cambodia, has recently asked all tyre factories in the country to use domestic rubber as raw material inputs, creating a market for rubber farmers.

The country’s tyre manufacturing sector has experienced massive growth in recent times, with three major players solidifying their presence, namely General Tires Technology (Cambodia) Co., Ltd., Sailun Group Co., Ltd., and Qingdao Doublestar Group.