Rubber Board launches twin projects to propel Indian NR
Highlights
. iSNR (Indian Sustainable Natural Rubber) to deal with EUDR
. INR Konnect to help idling plantations come alive
. iSNR to fetch a premium of 10-35% in global markets

The Rubber Board of India has announced two strategic initiatives, iSNR (Indian Sustainable Natural Rubber) and INR Konnect, aimed at securing a formidable place for Indian natural rubber on the global platform while addressing challenges in domestic production.
iSNR targets better prices for Indian rubber
The iSNR initiative is designed to position Indian natural rubber as a globally responsible choice. At its core, iSNR is committed to aligning Indian rubber production with the stringent European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). Introducing a traceability certification system ensures that the origin of rubber products can be verified, demonstrating compliance with international sustainability standards, including EUDR.
A critical feature of iSNR is that it provides this traceability certification at zero cost to smallholders, removing financial barriers for the producers. The certification streamlines compliance processes for stakeholders targeting the European Union market and assures buyers of Indian rubber’s ethical and sustainable origins. The platform leverages advanced geo-mapping technology to monitor individual plots and verify non-deforestation compliance.
Farmers and exporters are trained on the Rubber Board’s traceability app and supported through awareness programs, ensuring the smooth adoption of sustainable practices under iSNR. Farmers have to register on the Rubber Board website, provide documents for mapping the farms and have to cooperate for risk assessment, and also give information about their buyers. Likewise, exporters also have to adhere to steps towards compliance, including getting trained on the Rubber Board traceability app, providing details about suppliers and buyers, declaring process and internal traceability steps, and segregating EUDR rubber.
By implementing robust risk assessments and segregating compliant rubber supply chains, iSNR ensures that India’s rubber industry remains future-ready, meeting evolving global regulations and market demands.
“Importantly, sustainable certification under iSNR opens up premium export opportunities for Indian rubber producers, unlocking prices that are 10–35% higher in global markets. This not only incentivizes environmentally friendly farming but also contributes to the long-term economic well-being of farmers. The initiative’s holistic approach ensures that Indian natural rubber is recognized globally as a responsible choice,” said Manoj Vembu, co-founder and director of TRST01, the agency that implements the iSNR project.
Sustainable prices still at large
The initiative comes at a time when Indian rubber producers are struggling with volatile prices, though overall, 2024 was a better year in terms of prices.
As the year began, January 2024 prices were at rock bottom of INR 155/kg and there was not much improvement until March 2024, but by the middle of March 2024, it hit INR 180/kg and fluctuated at the levels till the middle of May from when the prices began to rise to higher levels and gradually crossed the INR 200/kg mark in June 2024 middle.
The Indian RSS-4 prices hit a record INR 247/kg on August 9, 2024, but the joy of farmers did not last long as the downward spiral soon followed. The prices, however, kept above the INR 200/kg mark until the middle of October 2024. But in a rapid fall, it came close to INR 180/kg towards the third week of October and then made a gradual recovery to INR 190/kg by the end of November. The recent highest was INR 199 on December 4 from where it fell again to INR 190 by the third week of December and has been hovering between INR 180-190/kg since, refusing to breach the INR 200/kg mark.
The producers association feels only a price on or above INR 250/kg for sheet rubber (RSS-4) can be called a sustainable price under the current inflation rate and domestic economic environment. However, in recent months, the prices have failed to breach the INR 200/kg, despite the producers’ association’s call to their members not to sell below the price. They allege that the domestic prices come under pressure as tire-makers resort to imports from cheaper destinations in Southeast Asia. There is an over 35% deficit in domestic production in relation to consumption.

INR Konnect aims to map untapped plantations
Meanwhile, recognizing the need to enhance domestic rubber production, the Rubber Board has launched INR Konnect, a digital platform designed to address the underutilization of tappable plantations in India. Despite significant potential, between 20% and 25% of the country’s tappable rubber plantations remain untapped each year due to challenges such as absentee ownership, labor shortages, and high production costs.
INR Konnect bridges this gap by connecting plantation owners with certified agencies and entities willing to adopt and manage untapped plantations. To ensure transparency and efficiency, INR Konnect provides standardized guidelines for the adoption process. The Rubber Board certifies adopting agencies to validate their credibility. It also certifies the accuracy of plantation claims regarding age, clones, and productivity.
Plantation owners benefit from productivity while adopting entities gain access to new resources and growth opportunities. The platform also addresses labor shortages and ensures that labor supply matches demand, enhancing efficiency and reliability in the rubber supply chain.
Despite the best efforts of Indian researchers and the Indian Rubber Board, the annual NR output has not witnessed a quantum jump over the years, though a considerable difference could be made during 2022-23 financial year when more untapped plantations could turn live. The average yield per hectare (see graph) also did not see a big increase though some indigenous clones were developed.
The annual production in 2019-20 was 712,000 tons and it increased to 715,000 tons in 2020-21, to 775,000 tons in 2021-22, to 839,000 tons in 2022-23 and to 8,57,000 tons in 2023-24. The Rubber Board is hopeful that better prices last year would entice more people into making their idle plantations productive in this season giving more cumulative yield.

Executive Director of the Rubber Board, M. Vasanthagesan said INR Konnect is meant for genuine growers who wish to lease their untapped plantations to genuine entities (agencies/ groups/ companies/RPSs/ tapper groups) who can adopt the plantations through MoU signed between parties based on a standard operation procedure.
“The twin projects seek to address immediate challenges and create long-term opportunities for stakeholders across the value chain. iSNR’s commitment to sustainability ensures that Indian rubber meets global expectations, while INR Konnect’s focus is on utilizing untapped plantations to boost production and create employment opportunities. The Board is integrating technological innovation with sustainability and community development,” he added.
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