From oil prices to everyday essentials, the ripple effects of the US-Iran war are widening, with world’s top condom producer Karex Bhd set to raise condom prices by 20% to 30% as supply chains come under strain, CEO Goh Miah Kiat told Reuters on Tuesday.
The Malaysia-based condom maker is also seeing a growth in condom demand as rising freight costs and shipping delays have left many of its customers with lower stockpiles than usual. “The situation is definitely very fragile, prices are expensive… We have no choice but to transfer the costs right now to the customers,” Goh said.
Karex produces more than 5 billion condoms in a year and is a supplier to major brands such as Durex and Trojan, along with state health systems such as Britain’s NHS and global aid programmes run by the United Nations.
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With the latest development, the condom manufacturer joins a list of companies, which includes medical glove makers, who face supply-chain bottlenecks as the Iran war strains energy and petrochemical flows from the Middle East, disrupting procurement of raw materials.
Karex has witnessed costs increase for everything from synthetic rubber and nitrile used in manufacturing condoms to packaging materials and lubricants such as aluminium foils and silicone oil Since the conflict began in late February, Goh told the news agency.
For the next few months, the company has enough supplies and is looking to boost output to meet rising demand, he said as global stockpiles of condoms have fallen significantly with major spending cuts in foreign aid, especially by the U.S. Agency for International Development in 2025.
Notably, the demand for condoms has soared nearly 30% this year as shipping disruptions further worsening shortages, Goh said. Karex’s shipments to places such as Europe and the United States are now taking nearly two months to arrive, compared to a month earlier.
ALSO READ: China’s New Condom Tax: Will It Boost The Country’s Declining Fertility Rate?
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