Ivory coast: Strategic investment to modernize the rubber industry

Ivory coast, the world’s third largest producer of natural rubber, is strengthening its rubber industry with a 400 million FCFA investment. An initiative aimed at modernizing production and improve the country’s competitiveness on the international market.

In May 2025, 5,000 planters benefited from new tapping equipment, an essential support to increase productivity. This modernization is part of an ongoing growth dynamic: between 2005 and 2023, Ivorian production rose from 164,138 tonnes to 1,678,000 tonnes, driven by 180,000 village growers and 40 processing plants.

The Ivorian government is betting on expansion towards the north of the country to exceed the threshold of 1.6 million tonnes of annual production. In addition, the Fédération des OPA de Producteurs de la Filière Hévéa de ivory coast has distributed 2.5 million pieces of tapping equipment and business cards to producers, reinforcing the organization of the sector.

Already the leader in Africa and third in the world behind Thailand and Indonesia,ivory coast aims to consolidate its position and improve growers’ incomes through increased industrialization of rubber-derived products. This modernization marks a strong political will to support a sector of strategic importance to the national economy.

Source: africanews