India's 2018/19 natural rubber imports surge to record high

MUMBAI: India's natural rubber imports in 2018/19 surged to a record high as production dropped amid a rise in consumption, the state-run Rubber Board said on Friday.

The world's second-biggest consumer of natural rubber imported 582,351 tonnes rubber in 2018/19, up 24 percent from the previous year, the board said in a statement.

The country's production fell 7.5 percent from a year ago to 642,000 tonnes, while consumption jumped 9 percent to a record 1.21 million tonnes, the board said.

India imports natural rubber mainly from Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia.