KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 19 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Rubber Gloves Manufacturers' Association (MARGMA) has advised its members on the need to increase and adjust prices to be in tandem with the high raw material costs and the weakening of the US dollar.

In a statement here Tuesday, its president, Lee Kim Meow, said most rubber glove manufacturers had started to raise prices of their products to reflect such disadvantages.

"If the forthcoming orders do not match the glove price requested, the makers have no choice but to reduce the output," he said.

The price of latex has increased by about 19 per cent from an average 657.25 sen a kg in January 2010 to a record 782 sen last Friday.

The US dollar has weakened against ringgit by about 13 per cent compared with 12 months ago.

Lee said despite the strong headwinds the industry faced currently, MARGMA was taking the long-term view that it would remain bullish.

"Demand for gloves will continue to grow by between 8-10 per cent annually in the coming years," he said.

Meanwhile, Lee called on the government to be considerate in the removal of the natural gas subsidy by not overburdening the already-challenging industry with a big and sudden gas price increase.

"The removal of the subsidy for natural gas should be done over a period of time," he said.

MARGMA has 45 ordinary members comprising 90 per cent of Malaysian glove manufacturers and 85 associate members comprising suppliers and services providers to the industry.

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