Costlier synthetic rubber loses ground marginally

The 1 per cent shift in the consumption ratio of natural and synthetic rubber occurred in favour of natural rubber during 2008-09. The NR : SR ratio has changed to 75:25 against 74:26 in 2007-08.

The shift occurred mainly due to the sharp increase in the price of SR during the first half of 2008-09 and the slow down in demand for tyres in the latter half. The unprecedented surge in the price of crude oil occurred in the first half resulted in a steep rise in the prices of various types of SR. So the consumption of SR had dropped by 1.4 per cent in 2008-09.

As per estimates of the Rubber Board total consumption of SR dropped to 292,950 tonnes against 297,155 tonnes in the previous fiscal. While consumption of NR rose 1.2 per cent at 871,720 tonnes against 861,455 tonnes in 2007-08.

This was quiet promising for NR cultivation in the country as even the strong waves of economic turmoil did not have a serious impact on consumption.

The SR consumption by the tyre industry, which consumes over 90 per cent of it, dropped 3.3 per cent to 191,507 tonnes.