Cambodia's rubber exports up 8 percent, revenues down 25 percent in Q1

PHNOM PENH, April 21 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has seen a 8% rise in rubber latex exports in the first quarter of 2012. However, the export value has declined by 25% due to the drop in international rubber prices.
From January to March this year, the country exported 12,800 tons of rubber latex, up 8% from 11,800 tons in the same period last year, showed the statistics from the Ministry of Commerce on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the export revenues were 41 million U.S. dollars, down 25% from 55 million U.S. dollars, it said.
The best quality rubber's price sold to international markets at 3,895 U.S. dollars a ton on Saturday, down 31% from 5, 654 U.S. dollars last year.
Cambodia's rubber latex has been exported to Malaysia, Vietnam, China and South Korea.
Currently, the country has about 213,100 hectares of rubber plantations, most of them are too young to be yielded, according to the annual reports of the Agriculture Ministry released early this month.
According to the figure of the Commerce Ministry, the country exported 46,730 tons of rubber latex in 2011, earning the total revenues of 201 million U.S. dollars.