Benchmark Tokyo rubber futures slipped on Tuesday to hit their lowest in near one week, as a stronger yen against the U.S. dollar, weaker global stocks and lean Shanghai rubber futures weighed on sentiment, dealers said.

“Weak equities market chilled investors’ appetite,” said Hiroyuki Kikukawa, general manager of research, Nissan Securities.

Vietnam exported 275,000 tons of rubber worth 408 million U.S. dollars in the first quarter of this year, up 10.5 percent in volume and down 19.8 percent in value against the same period last year.

Oil futures traded on the Tokyo Commodity Exchange slipped 11.24% month on month to 390,821 trades in March, data provided by TOCOM showed.

The Malaysian rubber market is likely to maintain a mixed trading next week, tracking the ringgit movement against the US dollar and global crude oil prices, a dealer said.

Thailand, the world's biggest producer and exporter of rubber, is seeking to increase local demand for the commodity by providing financial support to buyers, as well as encouraging all government agencies to use more of it.

Sarawak Risda has received an allocation of RM20.7 million for replanting of rubber involving 2251.67ha of land. This is part of RM158.3 million of the Rubber to Rubber Replanting Programme (TSGG) involving 54,057ha of land throughout the country.