The Rubber Board has signed an agreement with DY Patil Agriculture and Technical University in Kohlapur to investigate the viability of rubber cultivation in Maharashtra's Kohlapur region. The MoU was signed by K.N. Raghavan, Executive Director of the Rubber Board, and Sanjay D Patil, Chancellor of DY Patil Agriculture and Technical University and President of the DYP Group of Institutions.
According to the agreement, the University will establish a one-hectare rubber plantation with technical assistance from the Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII). The University and RRII will jointly monitor the performance of the trees.
Raghavan also marked the beginning of the planting of rubber saplings in the experimental plot.
India is the world's second-largest consumer of natural rubber, consuming approximately 1.2 million tonnes annually, and this figure is expected to rise in the coming years. Imports account for approximately 40% of total consumption.
Self-sufficiency will be the primary focus of development plans as the gap between consumption and domestic production widens.
Natural rubber is a critical industrial raw material with significant national strategic significance. NR is used in the production of approximately 40,000 products. The steady increase in natural rubber consumption, particularly among tyre manufacturers, has created a significant gap between production and consumption. The deficit was closed in 2021-22 by imposing NR worth 7,500 crore.
To increase output, the Rubber Board proposes expanding the area under natural rubber. Given the strategic and national importance of this critical raw material, the Government's National Rubber Policy 2019 envisions meeting at least 75% of domestic demand by 2030.
About Rubber Board:
The Rubber Board is a statutory agency established by the Indian government under the Rubber Act 1947 for the promotion of the country's rubber sector. The company's headquarters are in Kottayam, Kerala.
