Malaysia For Model Sustainable Rubber Industry - Dr Zairossani Bin Mohd Nor, Director General, MRB

The Malaysian Rubber Board (MRB), the powerful arm of the Malaysian Rubber Industry, is currently engaged in a concerted effort to make the domestic rubber industry self-sustainable amid challenges aplenty such as steep fall in prices, labour shortage, climate change etc. In an exclusive interview to Rubber Asia, Dr Zairossani bin Mohd Nor, the new Director General of the MRB and a world-renowned rubber scientist, says that the Board has come up with a series of innovations as well as plans to consolidate smallholdings, project environmental sustainability and unite the industry together through a self-sustainable rubber industry. The ultimate goal of MRB is to produce high-value jobs and increase revenue in the rubber sector, Dr Zairossani says. EXCERPTS:

- A Saj Mathews

What are MRB’s main objectives for the next 5 years and how do you plan to achieve them?

Approximately 90% of all rubber plantations in the country are owned by smallholders and their farms are smaller than 40 acres; the average size of a Malaysian rubber smallholding, however, is slightly above 2 acres. In addition, Malaysia’s younger generation is not that keen to enter the upstream rubber industry owing to the perceived lack of socio-economic opportunities available.

To overcome these challenges, the MRB has come up with a series of innovations and also plans to consolidate smallholdings, project environmental sustainability, and unite the industry together through a self-sustainable rubber industry. The ultimate goal of MRB for the rubber industry is to produce high value jobs and increase revenues in the rubber sector. The innovations of MRB cuts across board, and include breakthroughs in planting and harvesting techniques, as well as technology – all of which are designed to help increase rubber yield.

The MRB realises that the introduction of technology is moot if the smallholders do not plant better-yielding clones and, to manage this problem, MRB engages in the transfer of technologies to implementing agencies that will introduce these technologies to smallholders to increase both their productivity and income. With the support of the Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (RISDA) and Sabah Rubber Industry Board (SRIB) -- both Government implementation agencies -- Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) training is conducted for smallholders to ensure ongoing replanting and new planting activities.