The demand for natural rubber is expected to rebound from now to 2020, Tran Thi Thuy Hoa, General-Secretary of the Vietnam Rubber Association (VRA) has said at a recent conference held in southern Binh Phuoc province.

The conference, themed “Sustainable Rubber Development”, drew the participation of more than 550 delegates from ministries, departments, institutions, groups and associations in the field of agriculture.

According to Hoa, the rubber area has increased quickly thanks to high rubber prices on foreign markets.

To meet the high demand of natural rubber in the coming time, the industry needs to further expand the acreage under rubber and ensure the quality of rubber products, she noted.

According to the VRA, Vietnam has become the third largest exporter of natural rubber in the world after Thailand and Indonesia , with its output bouncing up to 1.01 million tonnes last year, representing a volume increase of 23.8 percent from 2011.-VNA