A worker collects latex at a rubber plantation near Bogor, southwest of Jakarta, in Indonesia. Picture: REUTERS/DARREN WHITESIDE
The association, which at the beginning of 2020 forecast that both production and demand would rise in 2020, now sees output falling — particularly in Indonesia, the world's second largest producer — due to the economic impact of the coronavirus and the hit to the car industry. Demand from car tyremakers such as Bridgestone, the world's biggest, has dwindled as car manufacturing slumped due to the pandemic and the Japanese company suspended operations at some plants in late April and early May.
While the association said there has been a spike in demand for rubber gloves and other protective equipment during the pandemic, that is offset by a plunge in demand from the car and other industries.