BANGKOK, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Thailand is expecting to produce 4.9 million tonnes of natural rubber in 2022, up 1.82% from a year earlier, its rubber agency said on Monday.
Thailand is the world's top producer and exporter of the natural rubber, accounting for about a third of global rubber production each year.
The Southeast Asian country also expects to export about 4.22 million tonnes of it this year, 2% more than in 2021, said Athiwee Dangkanit, an official at the Rubber Authority of Thailand.
Thai rubber exports will be supported by growing demand for rubber in the global automobile industry and for rubber medical gloves, use of which has increased during the pandemic, Athiwee said.
Lower rubber inventories in Qingdao, a major port for rubber imports in eastern China, provided an opportunity to export more Thai rubber, she said. Inventories there fell significantly in 2021 due to delayed shipments and high transport cost.