China's natural rubber production is expected to total 750,000 tons in 2010, less than one third of the nation's demand, said Ju Hongzhen, chairman of China Rubber Industry Association (CRIA).

The price of natural rubber has risen due to the widening gap between supply and demand, Ju told Xinhua.

According to CRIA statistics, China consumed 1.8 million tons of natural rubber in 2005, while domestic natural rubber production over the year only approached 510,000 tons.

Figures released by Chinese customs show that China imported 1.5 million tons of natural rubber in 2005, the most of any country in the world.

The price of imported natural rubber to China averages 28,000 yuan (US$3,544) per ton at present. It was 12,000 yuan per ton in the first half of 2005, and 15,000 yuan in the second half of the year, before jumping to 20,000 from January to June.

Ju called for China to plant rubber trees abroad to solve the problem of land shortage for rubber planting at home, and to encourage the development of the private rubber plantations and their technique to process rubber.

(Xinhua News Agency July 13, 2006)