MARGMA president Oon Kim Hung welcomed the decision, calling it both “timely and necessary” to safeguard the integrity of Malaysia’s world-renowned glove industry.
Onn stressed that re-exporting finished gloves that are merely trans-shipped through Malaysian ports threatens to erode years of trust built with international buyers.
“By ensuring every critical manufacturing step takes place on Malaysian soil, we safeguard product quality, traceability and the stringent ESG standards demanded by global buyers,” Oon said in a statement.
“Importing latex for processing here is entirely different from importing finished gloves. This policy strikes the right balance between safeguarding quality and ensuring supply security,” Oon explained.
To support the directive’s rollout, MARGMA said it will work closely with the Malaysian Rubber Board (MRB) to assist member companies with compliance, documentation, and audit readiness. It will also collaborate with enforcement bodies to prevent trade diversion and maintain the industry’s international credibility.
“We urge every licensed exporter to observe both the spirit of this directive. Together with the Ministry and MRB, MARGMA is committed to preserving Malaysia’s position as the trusted global source of high-quality, responsibly manufactured rubber gloves,” Oon said.
According to Johari, Malaysia currently produces around 348,000 metric tonnes of rubber annually, far lower than the industry’s requirement of over one million metric tonnes. Therefore, raw materials such as latex from Thailand are still allowed to be imported, as they are fully processed domestically before becoming end products.
“What’s important is that the processing occurs here. We do not want Malaysia to become a hub for trade diversion involving finished products from other countries. This is to protect the reputation and sustainability of the local rubber industry,” he said.
Last week, the Plantation and Commodities Ministry announced that only rubber glove exporters licensed by the Malaysian Rubber Board are allowed to export products sourced from local manufacturers effective immediately.
It said the move was taken to safeguard product quality and to prevent Malaysia from being used as an export route for finished products from other countries. — Bernama
Source: Business Times
