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Rubber, known for its elastic quality, is a commodity that is used in many products and applications around the globe (from industrial to household products). There are two types of rubber, to wit natural rubber and synthetic rubber. Natural rubber is made from the juice (latex) of the rubber tree, whereas the synthetic type is made from petroleum. Both types are interchangeable and as such influence each other&#;s demand; when the price of petroleum rises, demand for natural rubber will increase. But when supply disruptions of natural rubber cause its price to rise, then the market tends to turn to synthetic rubber. This section discusses Indonesia&#;s natural rubber sector. Indonesia is one of the largest producers and exporters of natural rubber.

Compared to its rubber producing competitors, Indonesia contains a low level of productivity per hectare. This is in large part due to the overall older age of its rubber trees in combination with low investment capability of the smallholder farmers, hence reducing yields. Whereas Thailand produces , kilogram (kg) of rubber per hectare per year, Indonesia only manages to produce , kg/ha. Also Vietnam (, kg/ha) and Malaysia (, kg/ha) have higher rubber productivity.

As the second-largest rubber producer, Indonesia supplies a substantial amount of rubber to the global market. Since the s, the Indonesian rubber industry has been experiencing steady production growth. Most of the country&#;s rubber output &#; approximately percent &#; is produced by smallholder farmers. Government and private estates thus play a minor role in the domestic rubber industry.

Indonesia&#;s downstream rubber industry is still underdeveloped. Today, the country depends on imports of processed rubber products due to the lack of domestic processing facilities and the lack of a well-developed manufacturing industry. Little domestic consumption of rubber explains why Indonesia exports about percent of its rubber production. However, in recent years there is a change visible (although a slow one) as exports slightly decline on the back of increased domestic consumption. About half of the natural rubber that is absorbed domestically in Indonesia goes to the tire manufacturing industry, followed by rubber gloves, rubber thread, footwear, retread tires, medical gloves, carpets and other tools.