KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Cote d'Ivoire, commonly referred to as the Ivory Coast, is now the third largest natural rubber producing country, overtaking the ranking from Vietnam.
The West African country increased NR output by over 16 percent year-on-year in 2023, producing just under 1.5 million metric tons, according to the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries.
Thailand maintained its leading position with 4.87 million tons of production followed by Indonesia at 3.2 million tons, ANRPC data shows. Vietnam dropped one place to fourth in rubber-output rankings, with 1.39 million tons of production for the year.
Overall, global NR production rose 6.5 percent year-on-year to 15.140 million tons last year, despite declines in output in China, Malaysia and the Philippines.
ANRPC said in its December NR review that the growth was mainly due to Indonesia's 13.3-percent downward review of its output to 2.71 million tons in 2022.
Overall, the association said that the year 2023 posed "significant challenges" for the NR industry, particularly in the upstream sector.
"Adverse climatic conditions and the emergence of a new leaf fall disease have adversely impacted NR production," it said.
An "effective diagnosis" of this new disease remains "elusive," ANRPC said, adding to the industry's difficulties, especially against the backdrop of persistently low rubber prices.
The economic strain on farmers' livelihood, said the association, has been "further exacerbated" by global events, including "ongoing geopolitical conflicts, the hawkish policies of the U.S. Federal Reserve and the impending European Union Deforestation-free Regulation (EUDR)."
