PLANTERS' BULLETIN

OF THE RUBBER RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF MALAYSIA

Kuala Lumpur January 1975 Number 136

Editorial:

International Rubber Conference 1975

The Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia (RRIM) is celebrating its

Golden Jubilee this year. The highlight which coincides with the
celebration, will be the organisation of the International Rubber
Conference 1975 which is jointly organised by the Society of Rubber
Industry, Japan and the Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia. The
first part of the Conference will be held in Japan at the Takanawa Prince
Hotel, Tokyo from 14-17 October 1975 while the second part will be
held in Malaysia at the Kuala Lumpur Hilton from 20-25 October 1975.

The Conference in Malaysia, organised by the Rubber Research

Institute of Malaysia on behalf of the Malaysian Rubber Research and
Development Board and with the support of the Government of Malaysia,
will deal exhaustively with all aspects of natural rubber production,
processing and manufacture. The inter-relationship between some
relevant progress in the synthetic rubber research and natural rubber
industry will also be discussed. In addition a number of specially
invited guests will give lectures on wider aspects affecting the progress
of both the natural and synthetic rubber industries. A total of about
120 papers has been selected for presentation at the Conference.

The Conference will provide 'an excellent opportunity for scientists,

research workers, academicians, as well as planters to participate in the
deliberations relevant to the natural rubber industry and it will be
witnessed by a large contingent of overseas delegates. Altogether about
800 - 100Q participants are expected to attend the Conference, and
about half of whom will be from overseas representing some thirty five
countries. A truly international status will be provided to the Conference
by the number and calibre of the participants from overseas. Their
presence will thus reaffirm the importance of international scientific
cooperation, not only for the advancement of knowledge generally, but
also for the betterment of the economic wellbemg of the natural rubber
producing countries.
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Editorial: International Rubber Conference 1975

It is therefore opportune that Malaysia, home of natural rubber,

should be the venue for such an international conference, particularly
in the present position which is faced with a number of uncertainties
connected with the petroleum industry, currency fluctuations, economic
problems caused by balance of payment influencing industrial growth,
commodity shortages and transient excesses and so on. The Conference
will no doubt serve as a forum for the appraisal of the latest developments
concerning natural rubber, and for the formulation of strategies not only
to respond to world and NR situations as they arise but also to modify
and create the situations conducive to the planned growth of a healthy
NR industry.

The Malaysian Government has given considerable attention towards

consolidating the natural rubber industry because of its economic
importance and because of the large dependence of Malaysia's rural
population on this particular crop. Since its establishment in 1925 the
Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia has steadily grown in size and
importance and is to-day the largest Institute in the world devoted to all
aspects of research of a single agricultural crop. Since recently, it has
intensified its research efforts to further maximise yield production at
reduced costs, improve processing of conventional and block rubbers
and also launched a greater massive effort towards industrialisation of
natural rubber within Malaysia. The Rubber Research Institute of
Malaysia has spearheaded the progress of natural rubber by its Intense
research efforts and contributed significantly towards forestalling the
challenges imposed by the synthetic rubber industry. By its efforts the
natural rubber industry of developing countries have shared the benefits
of research, and the increased economic returns have helped to provide
the necessary funds towards promoting the economic progress of these
countries.
The various programmes being organised for the International Rubber
Conference 1975 in Kuala Lumpur and the Rubber Research Institute
of Malaysia Golden Jubilee year celebrations will give foreign partici-
pants an opportunity to see and know, first hand, the progress attained
and being sustained in the politics- socio and economic spheres by a
young and developing democratic country and that such progress has
been made possible, in a large way, by the contributions of the natural
rubber industry.

COPYRIGHT © MALAYSIAN RUBBER BOARD