Salvatore Pinizzotto, secretary-general of the International Rubber Research Organization (IRSG), said that despite the strong growth in demand for rubber in Asia, especially China, but the large-scale vaccine promotion may be delayed, the recovery of international rubber market demand in 2021 is expected to be lower than expected.

Among them, the sales growth of automobiles and tires will affect market demand in the short term. In addition, in the short term, he expects that the scrap tire industry will also see substantial growth. Especially the glove industry, or the key to promote rubber demand to the "next normal state."

According to Salvatore Pinizzotto, under the influence of travel restrictions caused by epidemic prevention in 2020, tire and car sales have been affected to a certain extent, which in turn will cause a significant impact on international rubber demand. Taking into account the strong demand for economic recovery in major economies this year, and the continuous expansion of the current scope of vaccination, IRSG predicts that the demand for natural rubber will increase by 7% in 2021, and the demand for synthetic rubber will increase by 7.2%. As for production, natural rubber production will increase by 5% in 2021. The decline in production in Southeast Asian countries will be offset by growth in other producing areas.

In fact, he believes that because the economic recovery in different regions is affected by the spread of the epidemic, anti-epidemic measures and monetary policies, the recovery of the entire rubber supply chain is different. But in general, the rubber industry is currently shifting from the past "just in time" production mode to the "just in case" production mode.

In addition, Salvatore Pinizzotto said that relevant agencies also need to pay attention to the decline in the attractiveness of agricultural activities and the impact of global warming on rubber production. It should be understood that rubber planting and harvesting are labor-intensive tasks. In the past period of time, rubber prices continued to run at a low level, coupled with rising production costs, the number of people involved in rubber planting and harvesting on the market is declining. At the same time, with the increase of extreme weather, rubber planting in some areas has also been affected.