KOTTAYAM, India (Nov. 30, 2012) — India produced 73,000 tons of natural rubber (NR) during August, up 2.5 percent from the same month a year ago, partly on the strength of growth in consumption by the tire industry.
Meanwhile, synthetic rubber (SR) production declined by 3.1 percent from the previous month to 9,561 tons during August.
Cumulative production of NR during April to August 2012 rose by just 0.8 percent to 313,700 tons from the same period a year ago. Total synthetic rubber production during April to August this year showed a 1.1 percent rise to 46,844 tons.
In terms of consumption, India used 83,430 tons of NR during August, down 2.7 percent from a month earlier. However, the total quantity consumed during the five months from April to August represented a 5-percent annualized rise to 420,510 tons. India consumed 37,900 tons of SR during August, down 2 percent from the previous month. During the April to August period, the country consumed 189,040 tons of SR—up 5.3 percent on an annualized basis.
The growth in NR consumption was driven by the automotive tire industry, where the consumption rose faster at a 6.5-percent rate against a 2-percent rise in the general rubber goods sector. With an estimated consumption of 81,500 tons during September, the first half of the current fiscal is likely to post 5.6-percent rise in the consumption.
Tire Business
