Tyre and rubber industries have denigrated the demand for curbing the import of rubber as it will bring rubber manufacturing to a halt.
The industry said in a press statement that the gap between domestic production and consumption is widening and imports are inevitable. According to Rajiv Budhraja, Director-General, Automotive Tyre Manufacturers’ Association, the rubber farming sector needs to be strengthened to meet the rising demand of rubber in the country. India’s rubber exports have dried up which need to be revitalised by equipping farmers to produce quality rubber. Merely strangulating supply of rubber to the industry by curbing imports will be a retrograde step with long-term damages, he said.
ML Gupta, Senior Vice-President, All India Rubber Industries Association, said that SMEs running into 5,000 units in the country are already facing a challenging economic environment. Inverted duty continues to be an issue for the small manufacturers which is coming in the way of making them competitive. Any import curbs on rubber will make it all the more difficult for the small scale sector to compete.
– The Hindu
