The Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association (ATMA) has reiterated its demand for a comprehensive national rubber policy on the lines of auto sector policy in the country.
This was raised at the meeting the tyre industry leaders had with Amitabh Kant, the new Secretary of Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion.
The issue has been raised just before the stakeholders’ consultations at the Rubber Board’s headquarters in Kottayam on May 9.
The committee stressed the need for framing a comprehensive national Policy outlining medium and long term objectives, roadmap and recommendations, sectoral competitiveness etc.
The policy is already under consideration by the Commerce Ministry.
According to Raghupati Singhania of JK Tyre, the country needs a rubber policy as it touches the lives of over 10 lakh growers and has a rich and diverse value chain encompassing tyres, conveyer belts, auto components, footwear, medical supplies, sports equipment, etc.
Each segment of the rubber sector has its own set of complexities which need to be addressed in a policy document with defined growth parameters, he said.
For the last several years, the domestic consumption has outstripped availability.
Output data
According to Rubber Board figures, the gap between domestic production and consumption widened to 1,33,400 tonnes last fiscal.
The industry estimates that during the current fiscal, too, production will lag behind consumption by about 1,00,000 tonnes.
According to ATMA, rubber imports are therefore imperative to plug the demand supply mismatch.