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Main policy areas
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Remarks
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General
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- Rubber is not covered under the AoA, although it is covered under
the general GATT provisions governing merchandise trade.
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Market access
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- Market access for natural rubber is governed primarily by ordinary
tariffs. In most countries, import tariffs on rubber are quite low.
Manufactured rubber products however often face higher tariffs. Quantitative
import restrictions are also applied on rubber products in many countries.
As automotive tyres are the major user of natural rubber, trade restrictions
on automobiles can have important indirect effects on the rubber market.
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Domestic support
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- A few exporting countries including Thailand was reported to have
some domestic support measures.
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Export competition
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- Direct export subsidies are not significant although export credits
are used by a few countries.
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State Trading Enterprises
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- Mainly importing STEs;
- While still operating in selected countries in Asia (in particular
China), STE interference in the sector has been progressively scaled
back over recent years.
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Export restrictions and prohibitions
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Food security
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- Millions of small farmers obtain cash income from sell/export rubber
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Environmental measures
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- Rubber production is believed to be an environment friendly activity.
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Rural development
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- Very important for local community development
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