BANGKOK, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC) said Thursday that it would assist rubber farmers by promoting Thailand as a global hub for rubber glove manufacturing.
"Global demand for rubber gloves this year will reach 360 billion pieces, estimated at 40 billion baht (1.27 billion U.S. dollars)," said Alongkorn Ponlaboot, advisor to the ministry.
"Now is the opportunity, as Thailand is currently the second biggest rubber glove exporter in the world with 8-15 percent annual growth," said Alongkorn.
Alongkorn said that during the pre-coronavirus period, global rubber price were in its lowest, however the demand for rubber gloves grew during the pandemic, especially in the healthcare front.
Alongkorn said the MOAC will be delivering its policy at the Agritech and Innovation Center to support the Rubber Authority of Thailand (RAOT) in the development of innovative rubber products, which will help raise rubber pricing, giving farmers a better income.
The RAOT has recently launched special loan offers worth a total of 25 billion baht (795.6 million U.S. dollars) to assist rubber glove manufacturers to increase their production capacity and upgrade their equipment. Enditem
