The value of rubber exports has risen sharply this year, earning the country 479 million USD in the first five months, up 85.5 percent over the same period in 2009, according to the General Statistics Office.

However, rubber exports decreased from 94 million USD in April to just 60 million USD in May as volumes dropped from 32,000 tonnes to just 20,000 tonnes.

The Vietnam Rubber Association (VNRA) attributed May's reduction to a decrease in exports to China , which accounts for more than 60 per cent of the country's total rubber exports.

The VNRA attributed the price rise in January-May to hikes in the world market. However, the export volume in the first five months of the year actually dropped 4.4 percent against the same period in 2009, reaching just 176,000 tonnes.

The VNRA said the rubber export price had risen by 400 USD a tonne since early December 2009 and was predicted to remain high in the second quarter of this year.

The world price of natural rubber is projected to exceed 3,000 USD a tonne due to a reduction in supply and the rebound of the world economy, which is expected to lead to a sharp increase in demand.

Rubber is grown on 160,000ha in Vietnam . The country's annual output is about 300,000 tonnes. Vietnam plans to extend the growing area to 520,000ha by 2020.

The export value of latex products, particularly tyres, in the first five months reached almost 638 million USD, double that of the same period last year.

According to the VNRA, tyres account for 83 percent of the country's latex-products.

Tyres for trucks account for 63 percent of that figure; motorbikes, 20 percent, while bicycle tyres make up the rest.

Domestic producers consider the US to be a major potential export market.

Despite the large volume of truck tyres exported, the domestic market still imports international brands such as Michelin, Bridgestone and Goodyear./.