Rubber futures hovered around 193 US cents per kilogram, near their highest level since April 2025, underpinned by seasonal supply tightness and expectations of stronger demand. Most major rubber-producing areas in Southeast Asia have largely completed rubber tapping as plantations enter the off-season. Typically, rubber trees experience a short tapping window in late January, followed by reduced output from February through May, before production accelerates again during the peak harvest season, which lasts until September.
At the same time, the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC) stated in February 2019 that global demand for natural rubber is expected to outstrip production for a sixth consecutive year in 2026, driven by robust automotive-sector growth across both emerging and advanced economies. Global output is forecast to rise by 2.4% in 2026, reaching 15.2 million tons, while demand is projected to increase by 1.7%, to 15.6 million tons.
