KUALA LUMPUR (March 17): Malaysian rubber glove manufacturers will step up production as the Covid-19 pandemic rages across the world, according to the Malaysian Rubber Glove Manufacturers Association (MARGMA).

In a statement today, MARGMA president Denis Low said it is the manufacturers’ duty to further step up productivity to cater to the enormous requirements for protective medical gloves.

Commenting on the Movement Control Order starting from March 18 to 31, Low said the intentions were good and timely to ensure better containment of Covid-19 and curtailing people movements is a necessity.

“MARGMA is also agreeable that certain essential services and industry be allowed to operate as they are providing critical products and services.

“In this same vein, the rubber glove industry will need to continue to produce medical and surgical gloves, which are very essential and critical items in the fight against the coronavirus,” he said.

Low said that while it is a huge challenge for the industry to cope with such high demand in a rather difficult situation, MARGMA members are committed to combat the pandemic.

“We expect the world’s demand for natural and synthetic rubber medical gloves to be about 345 billion pieces this year while it was only 298 billion in 2019.

“Malaysia is looking to export about 65% or about 225 billion pieces or more depending on the spread and duration of Covid-19,” he said.