KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia(AP)-Malaysia, one of the world's largest natural rubber producers,
promised Oct. 7 to give Cambodia technical aid to help rehabilitate the war-torn
nation's rubber plantations.
Wan Abdul Rahman Wan Yaacob, assistant director at the Rubber Research Institute
in Malaysia, said a team from the institute would leave for Cambodia soon to study
the type of assistance needed.
Malaysia provided similar aid totaling 1.7 million ringgit (U.S. $680,000) to Vietnam
early this year, Wan Abdul Rahman told reporters after briefing Chea Sim, chairman
of the Cambodian National Assembly, and his delegation of the latest technology in
growing rubber trees.
The Cambodians sought help in rubber replanting and processing and training in new
rubber technology, Wan Abdul Rahman said.
Wan Abdul Rahman also said reduced rubber production in Malaysia recently had left
it as the world's third largest producer and exporter of natural rubber, behind Thailand
and Indonesia.
Malaysia accounted for 23.4 percent of the world's natural rubber production.
Malaysia produced 1.5 million tons in 1988 but production declined to 1.2 million
tons last year.
This was because many rubber industry workers had moved to factories, Wan Abdul Rahman
said.
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