The International Rubber Association (IRA) was inaugurated in Ottawa, Canada on 24 September 1971 through the corporation of rubber associations in both producing and consuming countries. Currently, IRA consist of 21 members from 13 countries. The Thai Rubber Association is one of the initial members. With the term of 2 years, IRA was led by a nine-member Management Committee, four of which are member associations from producing countries while the other four are those from consuming countries.
The objectives of IRA are to formulate rubber trade practices, to prepare international rubber contracts, to foster international cooperation on rubber production, trade and consumption among producing and consuming countries, to collectively solve any problems in connection with international rubber trade as well as to facilitate continued improvement in international rubber trade. Additionally, IRA plays an important role in the corporation with other international rubber organizations for the development of rubber quality and world rubber industry as a whole. The Secretariat office of IRA is currently located in the Thai Rubber Association’s building.
IRA is globally recognized in international rubber trade community. TRA is one of the IRA Management Committee members, contributing to the continued development and global recognition of IRA.
Mr. Paul Sumade Lee, Chairman of Sri Trang International Pte Ltd is highly honoured to assume the post of IRA Chairman with Mr. Supadetch Ongsakul, TRA Deputy Secretary General serving as the IRA Executive Secretary for the term 2013-2014. IRA arranges Management Committee meeting once a year. This year, in representation of TRA, Mr. Bundit Kerdvongbundit, TRA Secretary General together with Ms. Piyaporn Saelim, TRA manager and Mr. Prasit Petnoosed and Mr. Phummet Chantawadee, TRA officers participated in the IRA Management Committee meeting on May 18, 2014 at Peninsula.Excelsior Hotel, Singapore, chaired by Mr. Paul Sumade Lee. Other associations present were Malaysia Rubber Exchange (MRE), Singapore Commodity Exchange (SICOM), Rubber Trade Association of Europe (RTAE) and Rubber Trade Association of Japan (RTAJ).
The important matter of the meeting is the preparation of RSS sample with reference to the Green Book. RTAJ proposed for reference to Copy Samples 2005, asserting that it was already endorsed in the IRA Management Committee meeting 2011, while TRA proposed to refer to RSS Master Sample prepared in 1968 by and in possession of MRE as it is closest to the original RSS master sample prepared as per the specifications stipulated in the Green Book.
In this regard, TRA proposed in the meeting that it is ready to prepare a new RSS sample with reference to RSS Master Samples 1968 and will propose the said sample in the next IRA Management Committee meeting.
Additionally, as another important matter, the meeting assigned MRE to crosscheck the regulations of TSR laboratory accreditation whether an organization applying for accreditation is required to be a member of IRA.
The IRA Management Committee meeting 2014 was successfully organized. Praises were heard from all who attended the meeting. On behalf of the Thai Rubber Association, I wish to thank Mr. Paul Sumade Lee, IRA Chairman and Mr. Supadetch Ongsakul, IRA Executive Secretary as well as the Secretariat of TRA for making the meeting a huge success. I hope that IRA will always be an important part of the corporation between producing and consuming countries for continued development of international rubber trade.
The role of Thailand in the International Rubber Association