Rubber output fell 4 % in July. It fell 20 % in June.
According to the data released by the Rubber Board, the production in July stood at 52,000 tonnes , 3.7% less than the output in the same month a year ago. However, the overall deficit in production for the period April to July 2015 came to 14% at 190,000 tonnes. Significantly, the import of natural rubber has decreased . The July 2015 imports showed 15% decline at 36,828 tonnes compared with the same period in previous year. The total imports for the four month s ended July 31, is now marginally lower at 143,614 tonnes year¬onyear. The consumption of rubber also showed a 2.7% fall in July. The declining production in the last few months had led to a surge in imports. The total imports had gone over a record 4 lakh tonnes. The government even raised the import duty to 25 % to curb it as many growers were of the opinion that rising imports were partly responsible for the crash in prices.