According to India, September 15, All India Rubber Industries Association (AIRIA) President Ramesh Kejriwa) said that given the lack of rainfall in the state of Kerala, India's natural rubber production is likely to fall by 5% in the current fiscal year. Kerala accounts for more than 90% of total rubber production.
Kejriwal said the area under rubber cultivation will fall by 10 percent. At the same time, the government could make up for some of the production losses as it has been planting more rubber. Production in the northeast will also make up for some of the losses to some extent.
According to the India Meteorological Department, as of Sept. 13, Kerala had a 41% rainfall deficit in the southwest monsoon. Between July 26 and August 23, the rainfall shortfall was more than 80%.
Rubber production in the first quarter of the current fiscal year was 139,000 tons compared to 138,000 tons a year ago, data from the Rubber Board of India showed. The drop in production could lead to an increase in imports in the current fiscal year. The country's natural rubber imports declined to 528,677 tons in the last fiscal year from 546,369 tons in fiscal 2021-22. In the first quarter of the current fiscal, the country's rubber imports declined to 121,779 tons from 123,497 tons a year ago.