Production of natural rubber in India has been showing an increase of four per cent on an average since the last few years, helping the economy to reduce its reliance on import of the raw material required by the automotive industry.
The south-Indian state of Kerala, which accounts for 80 per cent of the country's natural rubber production, alone marked a 4.74 per cent increase in last year.
According to the state's Economic Review brought out on the eve of presentation of the annual budget for 2010-11, the country's rubber production was 8.65 lakh tons in 2008-09, out
which Kerala produced 7.83 lakh tons.
In 2008-09, rubber cultivation base increased to 5.17 lakh hectares, which was higher by 5,430 hectares from the previous year.
The State has been maintaining a promising trend in productivity from 1,190 kg per hectare in 1998-99 to 1,514 kg per hectare in 2008-09.
According to the Review, many factors including the increase in domestic production helped to reduce the high import of rubber into the country. It was reduced from 86,394
tons to 77,616 tons in 2008-09.
Though Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia are ahead of India in the production of natural rubber, the country ranked fourth after China, USA and Japan in consumption.