Philippine rubber

During the first edition of Philippine Rubber Investment and Market Encounter, taking place in Clark (north of Manila) on 19 September with experts, producers, converters and other operators from the rubber industry in attendance, the undersecretary of the Philippine Ministry of Industry and Trade, Merly Cruz, unveiled a plan to double the production of natural rubber by 2016 (106,000 tons in 2011). This should cover at least 50% of domestic demand while improving quality to meet the increasingly stringent requirements of users.
The Philippine government thus seeks to stimulate overall industrial development - the country's GDP grew by 6.1% in the first half of 2012, thanks precisely to a series of governmental stimulus measures - also promoting the establishment of companies in the rubber processing industry, producing tyres and other rubber goods and creating new jobs.