India's January natural rubber imports drop 4.8% to 39,997 tonnes as local demand from tyre makers softens: Board

Mumbai: India’s natural rubber imports in January eased 4.8 percent from a year earlier to 39,997 tonnes, the state-run Rubber Board said on Wednesday, as local consumption fell due to weak demand from tyre makers. The country’s production last month eased 1.4 percent from a year ago to 72,000 tonnes, while consumption dropped 2.4 percent to 97,000 tonnes, the board said. India’s imports between April to January jumped more than 30 percent from a year ago to 489,085 tonnes, it said. India imports natural rubber mainly from Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia. “Tyre companies are cutting purchases due to a slowdown in auto sales,” said a rubber dealer based at Kochi in the southern state of Kerala.