Synthetic rubber consumption in the country rose by 16 per cent to 36,345 tonnes in November,2011,while output increased marginally to 8,636 tonnes during the month,according to the Rubber Board data. In November 2010,consumption of synthetic rubber stood at 31,275 tonnes,while production stood at 8,592 tonnes. Consumption by the auto tyre industry rose by 7 per cent to 26,881 tonnes during the month under review from 25,021 tonnes in the year-ago period. Synthetic rubber is mostly used in the manufacture of tyres in the country. Import of synthetic rubber,however,fell by 23 per cent to 20,900 tonnes in November,2011,from 26,986 tonnes in the year-ago period. In the first eight months of the current fiscal,output of synthetic rubber declined to 71,978 tonnes tonnes 72,041 during the same period in the previous year. Consumption increased to 2,80,695 tonnes from 2,70,755 tonnes. The auto tyre industry consumed 2,04,283 tonnes of synthetic rubber in April-November,2011,as against 1,94,931 tonnes in the corresponding period of the previous year. Total imports rose to 2,18,733 tonnes in the April-November period this fiscal from 2,04,056 tonnes in the same period last fiscal. The total stock of synthetic rubber in the country at the end of October,2011,stood at 45,865 tonnes.
