Meeting of rubber-producing nations discusses need to mechanise sector

The need for collective efforts to address issues of natural rubber-producing countries, such as mechanisation of the sector, increased labour costs and environmental problems, was discussed at a meeting here on Monday.

Discussions on topics relevant to the sector, including the current global scenario post-COVID pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, were also held as part of the annual meeting of the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC), a statement said.

India's Rubber Board chairman Sawar Dhanania inaugurated the meeting, the theme of which was 'Natural Rubber Industry: Challenges and Policy Options in the 21st Century'.

Addressing the programme, Dhanania said the association should prioritise issues common for all and formulate appropriate policies.

Mechanisation of the sector, promotion of sustainable agricultural practices, strengthening of the supply chain and value addition for rubber wood will ensure the existence of rubber farmers everywhere, he maintained.

ANRPC chairman Zaroissani Mohd Nor said the mission of the association is to continuously improve the productivity of rubber holdings, reduce cost, increase value addition in the downstream, explore sources of ancillary income, capitalise on the eco-friendly credentials of natural rubber, and thereby improve the well-being of rubber farmers.

The common challenges before the natural rubber-producing nations were outlined by Rubber Board executive director M Vasanthagesan.

Some of the shared concerns are low prices of rubber, increased labour costs, labour shortages, diseases, climate change and environmental problems, he said.

Collective efforts are essential to solve these common issues, he added.

Panel discussions on various topics relevant to the sector were also held, the statement said.

Various stakeholders, including senior officials of different nations, participated in the meeting, organised by ANRPC, an inter-governmental organisation that has 13 member countries at present.

The programme will conclude on October 13, the statement said.