Malaysia’s Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities (MPIC) has recently announced details for the International Rubber Industry Convention and Expo 2022 (IRICE 2022)
IRICE 2022 is to be held in conjunction with the International Rubber Glove Conference and Exhibition 2022 (IRGCE 2022) and RubberCon2022. All three events are scheduled to take place from 6-8 September 2022 at the Kaula Lumpur Convention Centre.
Datuk Hajah Zuraida, Minister, MPIC said during her officiating speech, “Government responsibilities include creating an enabling environment that will allow the Malaysian rubber industry to realise its full potential, achieve global excellence, maximise its contribution to the domestic economy, and fulfil its obligations to various sections of society Our primary aim is to ensure that the Malaysian rubber made products are renowned across the world.”
Organised by the Malaysian Rubber Products Manufacturers Association (MRPMA) and co-hosted by the Malaysian Rubber Council (MRC), the event aims to define the opportunities and address the challenges faced by the country's rubber industry, which include precured treads, engineered rubber products in construction, railway, mining and marine, latex foam and mattresses, rubber medical devices, rubber automotive components, and green rubber.
The event also aims to promote the dry and technical rubber exhibition in Malaysia, which covers six categories; art painting, handicraft souvenirs, sports, recreational and general consumer goods, building, construction and engineering, electrical and electronics, automotive, masterbatch, rubber chemicals, machinery and equipment.
IRICE 2022 is said to be a platform for industry experts to network, boost revenue as and facilitate knowledge sharing amongst the industry.
“IRICE has been an effective avenue to bridge the smallholders and manufacturers of the rubber industry, especially in assisting in policy creation and bringing the industry players together and thus be a platform for effective networking,” said Dr Daroyah Alwi, chairman of MRC.
IRICE was first organised in 2017 by MRPMA and was known to be a success in attracting hundreds of participants and speakers. According to the organisers, the biennial event is dedicated to promoting the growth of the rubber industry, by discussing related policies and promoting the upstream sector of the rubber industry.
The event also benefits the downstream sector in helping to identify new market opportunities. "Our Vision is to make IRICE the leading exhibition for the rubber industry in ASEAN," said Yeaw Kok Kwey, president of MRPMA.
Also present during the announcement event was Encik Hizwan Ahmad, CEO of MRC, Loh Yoon Han, organising chair of IRICE and the management team of both MRC and MRPMA.
As part of MRC’s initiatives in promoting Malaysian rubber products, the exhibition aims to bridge the trade promotion activities, business cooperation, and technologies exchange for domestic and key players from within the rubber industry.
According to the organisers, more than 80 companies have shown interest in participating and MRPMA is encouraging more participation from other rubber industry stakeholders to take part in the IRICE 2022.
