VRA: Vietnam Rubber Acreage Rises Unexpectedly
Vietnam has to date expanded its total rubber area to 600,000 hectares, of which 69,000 hectares were planted during 2008, the highest figure so far, according to the Vietnam Rubber Association (VRA).
The country also harvested 662,500 tons of rubber in 2008, up 10.2 per cent on year, with average productivity of 1.66 tons per hectare.
The country exported 645,000 tons, earning US$1.59 billion, down 9.8 per cent in volume but up 14.7 per cent in value against the previous year, mostly thanks to an increase of 27 per cent in terms of export price.
Vietnam, the fifth largest rubber producer in the world with 5.4 per cent of output, aims to increase the planting area by 100,000-700,000 hectares in the next four years and will plant another 150,000 hectares by 2015.
This year, the country expected to reap US$1.6 billion from shipping 780,000 tons of rubber, a modest rise against 2008 as the world economic downturn have made rubber prices drop in the past months. (Vietnam Economic Times)
Vietnamese
