THE ALL India Rubber Industries Association (AIRIA) has urged the Government to dissolve Customs duty on imported raw materials such as butyl and other synthetic rubbers to abate influx of cheap Chinese imports into the domestic market.
The group said that this move is necessary to help the industry compete within stiff market conditions, adding that at least 294 rubber product manufacturing units, most of them are small enterprises operating less than 100 tonnes, had already closed down; and some 5,500 small units are expected to incur losses.
The maximum import duty on finished goods from China and other countries was 10% , whilst 10 to 70% were levied on key raw materials, including natural and synthetic rubber.
Most dumped products have not complied with the Bureau of Indian Standards, and even have gone past quality checks on imported goods.