Natural rubber Feb output grows 54%, imports slump 51%

The production of natural rubber rose by 54 per cent last month to 57,000 tonnes while imports fell by 51 per cent to 15,609 tonnes, according to latest data released by the Rubber Board.
Natural rubber production and imports stood at 37,000 tonnes and 31,864 tonnes, respectively, in February 2016.
The consumption declined marginally to 83,000 tonnes last month, from 84,320 tonnes during February 2016, the data showed.
During April-February of 2016-17, the production of natural rubber went up by 18 per cent to 6.22 lakh tonnes, from 5.29 lakh tonnes in the same period of the previous year.
The consumption grew by 4 per cent to 9,42,695 tonnes during the first 11 months, from 9,06,235 tonnes in the year-ago period.

Imports decreased by 7 per cent to 4,00,812 tonnes during April-February, from 4,30,351 tonnes in the corresponding period of the previous year.