Indian Rubber Board: Natural rubber production is expected to increase to 875000 tons this fiscal year
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According to Indian media reports on July 10th, the Indian Rubber Authority expects that natural rubber production in the 2025 fiscal year is expected to reach 875000 tons due to improved weather conditions and measures to control diseases, rain protection measures in more areas of Kerala and the northeast, and expansion of plantation areas.
Data shows that the total rubber planting area in the country is expected to increase from 850000 hectares in the 2022/23 fiscal year to 889000 hectares in the 2023/24 fiscal year. The exploitable area in the 2023/24 fiscal year will increase by 8500 hectares compared to the 2022/23 fiscal year, indicating that there will be more rubber available for mining this fiscal year.
The domestic natural rubber consumption in the country increased by 4.9% to 1.416 million tons in the fiscal year 2023/24 compared to 1.35 million tons in the fiscal year 2022/23. Among them, the consumption of film is 589345 tons, accounting for 41.6% of the total consumption, and the consumption of latex is 108405 tons, accounting for 7.7%. This means that the industry has a greater demand for RSS than other grades of rubber.
M Vasanthagesan, Executive Director of the Rubber Bureau, stated that there is a high demand for domestically produced RSS rubber from tire and other product manufacturers, indicating their high quality and market acceptance. At the same time, rubber growers are urged to focus more on rubber processing rather than selling latex in the fields. Over the years, the consumption of RSS grade natural rubber has been on the rise, with growth rates of 8.34% and 5.37% in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 fiscal years, respectively.
From April to May 2024, the total natural rubber production in the country was 81000 tons, while the total production for the same period in 2023 was 82000 tons. The reason for the decrease in production is the early rainfall in May. However, the bureau expects the supply situation to improve in the coming days.
During the fiscal years of 2021/22, 2022/23, and 2023/24, the country's natural rubber imports were 546369 tons, 528677 tons, and 492682 tons, respectively. The bureau stated that by focusing on increasing domestic production, growers can play a key role in achieving self-sufficiency in rubber production.