MUMBAI (Reuters) – India’s natural rubber imports in January eased 4.8 percent from a year earlier to 39,997 tonnes, the state-run Rubber Board said on Wednesday, as local consumption fell due to weak demand from tyre makers.
The country’s production last month eased 1.4 percent from a year ago to 72,000 tonnes, while consumption dropped 2.4 percent to 97,000 tonnes, the board said.
India’s imports between April to January jumped more than 30 percent from a year ago to 489,085 tonnes, it said.
India imports natural rubber mainly from Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia.
“Tyre companies are cutting purchases due to a slowdown in auto sales,” said a rubber dealer based at Kochi in the southern state of Kerala.
