All rubber glove exporters licensed by the Malaysian Rubber Board will now only be able to export gloves produced by local manufacturers, the government said today.
The plantation and commodities ministry said the measure will prevent the country from becoming a trade diversion destination for products from other nations and ensure the sustainability of Malaysia’s rubber glove industry, reported Bernama.
“This is in view of global developments that reflect increasing uncertainty in the international trade landscape, including changes in policies among major world markets that directly impact the rubber supply chain and export market,” said the ministry.
“These circumstances may lead to a rise in rubber glove imports, which could affect the competitiveness of the domestic rubber industry.”
Malaysia is among the world’s top producers and exporters of rubber and rubber-based products; exports amounted to RM33 billion in 2024, of which rubber gloves contributed RM15.4 billion (45.8%).
The ministry said the rubber board has strengthened oversight of the industry in view of the ongoing global trade challenges, including tightening export licensing requirements and carrying out enhanced monitoring and enforcement.
The move comes in the wake of the United States imposing a general tariff of 10% on imports from all countries, and special tariffs on about 60 countries, suspended for 90 days. Malaysia was hit with a 24% tariff rate.
Bloomberg yesterday reported that US-based online traders importing goods from China had received numerous suspicious offers for routing the goods through a country with lower tariff rates than China or falsifying shipment values.
