Vietnam has surpassed Malaysia and India to become the world’s third biggest rubber producer, according to the latest statistics released early this month by the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC).

The country produced 1.043 million tons of natural rubber in 2013, an increase of 20.8 percent from 863,600 tons a year earlier, as shown by figures ANRPC announced on March 4.

It was the first time Vietnam’s rubber output had surpassed the 1 million ton millstone.

The Southeast Asian country ranked fifth in the 2012 ranking.

China stood at number four on the 2013 list of the world’s biggest rubber producers as it made 856,000 tons of natural rubber last year, an increase of 7.7 percent.

Malaysia, which ranked third in 2012, saw a decrease of 11.1 percent as the country only produced 820,000 tons of rubber in 2013, slipping to sixth place in the ranking while India ranked fifth as it yielded 849,000 tons of rubber, a 7.6 percent drop.

The South Asian country was placed fourth on the 2012 list.

The ANRPC figures also indicate that among the nine biggest rubber producers, India, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka witnessed a decrease in rubber production while Vietnam and China saw a surprise increase.

According to India media, the country’s rubber production sharply declined during the 2008-2013 period, which led to its relegation on the list and caused a rubber supply shortage, forcing the South Asian country to import the substance in the 2013 – 2014 season.

Indian authorities said that their rubber production was only 1,813 kg per hectare in the 2012-2013 season, a decrease from 1,867 kg per hectare in the 2008-2009 crop.