Weak rubber prices buoy tyre companies

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| RSS-4 grade prices are likely to fall to Rs 51-52 per kg soon,said D Ravindran, director general of the association. | |
| Natural rubber production is set to improve in all major rubber producing countries leading to more arrival of stocks in the market, he said. Production is gathering momentum in Thailand, the largest producer of natural rubber in the world, he said. | |
| Indications from Malaysia and Indonesia are also showing the same trend, he said. The peak season for rubber tapping in the domestic market would commence from September. | |
| Meanwhile, consumption of natural rubber by the non-tyre sector in the country has slowed down due to the high prices, he said. | |
| Faced with the problem of cheaper imports, the non-tyre sector is finding it hard to cope with the high prices of both rubber and petroleum products, he said. | |
| In this scenario, the prices of RSS-4 grade are likely to continue their slide, he said. | |
| Rubber prices have been showing a declining trend since August. | |
| In July, prices hovered around Rs 68 per kg for RSS-4 grade rubber. But since then the prices have fallen sharply. | |
| Today, RSS-4 grade at Kochi was quoted at Rs 55 per kg. | |
| The closing price of RSS-4 at Kottayam, Kerala Tuesday was at 56.50 per kg, according to the Rubber Board. | |
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First Published: Aug 25 2005 | 12:00 AM IST