Indian Rubber Production Rises 18 Per Cent

Natural rubber production surged upwards by 18 per cent in India in August, claims the national Rubber Board. 72,000 tonnes of rubber were produced in the month, with India seeing helpful climatic conditions. The figure dwarfs the 60,850 tonnes produced in August 2007. There was also a rise in Indian consumption of said rubber, though the proportional rise was a mere 4 per cent at 78,000 tonnes (2007: 75,105 tonnes).

Senior Rubber Board officials told the media that the rise comes on the back of “an increase in the production and export of vehicle tyres.” During the period under review, the export of natural rubber shot up by 65 per cent to 2,341 tons against 1,416 tons, while import witnessed a slump of 150 per cent to 2,726 tons, compared with 6,839 tons in the same period last year.

In its projection for the entire 2008-09 fiscal, the Rubber Board has pegged the natural rubber output at 875,000 tonnes and consumption at 899,000 tonnes in 2008-09. The exports and imports are estimated at 50,000 tons and 80,000 tons respectively for 2008-09 fiscal.

In 2007-08 fiscal, the production of natural rubber declined by three per cent to 825,000 tonnes from 852,000 tonnes in the previous fiscal. The consumption, however, increased by five per cent to nearly 860,000 tonnes during 2007-08, as against 820,000 tonnes in the year-ago period. The country exported 51,381 tons in 2007-08 against 56,545 tons in the previous fiscal. The imports stood at 87,219 tons against 89,699 tons during the period under review.