KOTA KINABALU: Sept 27, 2026 — The price of latex in Sabah has risen by RM2.28 per kg to RM9.17 per kg, compared with RM6.89 per kg in December 2025.
Sabah Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Datuk Jamawi Jaafar said the increase showed the potential economic value that could be tapped through the production of local latex-based downstream products.
He said this at the launch of the Lumi Borneo Latex Pillow at Suria Sabah here yesterday.
He said the price of cup lump had also risen from RM3.56 per kg in December 2025 to RM5.40 per kg currently.
“When we succeed in processing latex and smallholders’ produce into pillows, our cup lump price also goes up,” he said.
He said the approach of adding value to agricultural produce needed to be expanded so that local producers could benefit.
“If we can add value, it will be more meaningful to our customers. Today, the Sabah Rubber Industry Board has added value to latex by turning it into pillows that can give users sweet dreams,” he said.
He added that the same approach could be applied in the agriculture and fisheries sectors by producing value-added products from local resources.
He said the Fisheries Department and related agencies could explore seafood processing, while agricultural produce also needed to be given added value.
“I hope other agencies, such as the Fisheries Department, can add more meaningful value to seafood for our fishermen. Likewise, the Agriculture Department, [so that] agricultural produce is value-added to give a more effective impact to the community,” he said.
He said the production of local latex-based products also gave the Sabah Rubber Industry Board (LIGS) an opportunity to earn additional profits through downstream activities.
Jamawi stressed that efforts to expand downstream products needed to be supported by continuous promotion so that local products could be used more widely.
