The tyre and other sectors of (Indian) rubber industry have written to additional secretary plantations in Ministry of Commerce, who is also the chairman of the expert committee to draft national rubber policy, that the natural rubber (NR) stock figures at the end of August 2014 as released by the Rubber Board shows a discrepancy of approximately 1 lakh tonne. The stock figure represents the existing NR stock in the country and is arrived at by deducting offtake (consumption + export) from availability (production + import).

According to the industry, based on the opening stock of NR in April this year and factoring the key parameters of production, consumption, import and export, the closing stock ought to have been 2.85 lakh tonne at the end of August this year. However, the stock figure published by the board is 1.85 lakh tonne. The discrepancy of 1 lakh tonne is huge and has significant consequences for all stakeholders. A whopping 1 lakh tonne have been 'adjusted' without any explanation, the industry alleged. Coming in the wake of second meeting of the expert committee to formulate national policy at Kochi later this week, the assertion by the industry assumes significance.

Source: rubberworld.com