Rubber Board tells growers to optimise tapping days
Rubber Board urges farmers to maximise tapping days amid declining global production. Shortages in the domestic market may lead to imports, potentially lowering prices
The Rubber Board has urged rubber farmers to maximise tapping days due to production shortages in traditional growing countries, warning that any shortfall could lead to pushing down prices.
The appeal from the Board follows a call from the National Confederation of Rubber Producer Societies for farmers to consider halting tapping during the summer months, citing low market prices as the reason.
The Board said there was a trend of declining rubber production in traditional rubber growing countries like Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia, and that this was the right time to encourage tapping as shortage of rubber in the domestic market in the coming months might lead to import of natural rubber and subsequent fall in price.
The Rubber Board has urged rubber farmers to maximise tapping days due to production shortages in traditional growing countries, warning that any shortfall could lead to pushing down prices.
The appeal from the Board follows a call from the National Confederation of Rubber Producer Societies for farmers to consider halting tapping during the summer months, citing low market prices as the reason.
The Board said there was a trend of declining rubber production in traditional rubber growing countries like Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia, and that this was the right time to encourage tapping as shortage of rubber in the domestic market in the coming months might lead to import of natural rubber and subsequent fall in price.
The Board also said that India had recorded 2.1% growth in natural rubber production during the last fiscal at 8,57,000 tonnes up from 8,39,000 tonnes in the previous year.
Consumption recorded a sharp increase of 4.9% to 14,16,000 tonnes compared to 13,50,000 tonnes in the previous year. The price of natural rubber has been moving upward, and the price of RSS 4 reached ₹192 after touching ₹180 on November 1, 2024.
In the global scenario too, prices are on the rise. The surge in price is attributed to China’s stimulus packages, anticipated global monetary easing, and decreased stocks in China, the largest consumer of natural rubber.
Over the years, natural rubber prices are showing an increasing trend. The average prices in the Kottayam market for November 2022-23, 2023-24, and 2024-25 were ₹140.39, ₹153.52, and ₹184.85, respectively.
According to the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC), production of natural rubber is showing a decreasing trend in the main rubber producing countries. Thailand’s natural rubber production in 2019 to 2024 dropped from 48,49,000 tonnes to 46,86,000 tonnes.
Similarly, production in Indonesia dropped from 33,01,000 tonnes to 25,16,000 tonnes and that in Malaysia dropped from 6,40,000 tonnes to 3,40,000 tonnes during the period. The decline in natural rubber production is likely to exacerbate global supply constraints, driving prices up in the years to come.
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