Link to rubber board statistics

http://rubberboard.org.in/reports/exportimportvalue.pdf


India’s car makers post mixed sales in July
August 4, 2012




Most of India’s carmakers showed weak sales this month due to economic issues and rising fuel prices, although Maruti Suzuki posted a 9.2 percent increase. The numbers came as a surprise after Maruti suffered a deadly labor dispute last month at the Manesar plant, which is responsible for 40 percent of production.

Its rivals showed mostly weak sales, amid hefty taxes, elevated fuel prices and stubborn inflation that has kept interest rates high, pushing up the cost of vehicle loans.

Maruti Suzuki India, majority-owned by Japan’s Suzuki Motor Corp, said passenger car sales in July rose 9.2 percent to 82,234 vehicles thanks to a low base effect from last year when sales were down due to protracted labor troubles.

Maruti last month was hit again by labor unrest — the worst ever in its three-decade history — that left a manager dead and nearly 100 other executives hurt at its Manesar plant, which is responsible for 40 percent of its output.

The company said last week it had begun assessing the extent of the damage caused by the worker riot at the plant and did not know when it would reopen.

Meanwhile, the local unit of Hyundai Motor, which mostly sells petrol vehicles, reported a 1.5 percent decline in local sales to 49,667 vehicles in July.

Ford India domestic sales slid 16.8 percent to 6,236 vehicles in July, while General Motors in India fell 23.3 percent to 7,285 units.

Ford India said the country’s auto market conditions remained “challenging” as consumer confidence is yet to recover from the effects of a recent hike in petrol prices, ongoing high interest rates and inflation.

Ford India’s president Michael Boneham said he expects the “difficult market situation to ultimately recede in the long run”.

Tata Motors, which owns British luxury brands Jaguar and Land Rover, bucked the trend, as its July car sales surged 53 percent to 26,240 units, with growth seen across all segments.

India, which has been one of the world’s fastest-growing car markets in recent years, has been suffering a slowdown in demand as some buyers defer purchases due to expensive loans and high fuel costs.

The Society of Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) forecasts car sales will grow by nine to 11 percent in the current financial year, which ends next March, on hopes that possible interest rate cuts will make auto loans cheaper and spur demand.






Rubber planters to begin tapping as rains fail
August 4, 2012




KOTTAYAM: Kurian Thomas, a small time rubber planter, never tapped his trees during Karkidakam, a period marked by heavy rains.

This year, he started tapping because rains have been scanty. “Big planters have a fixed schedule for tapping. But small-time farmers like me can’t follow that schedule. Since the weather is suitable I am doing my job. Who knows when rains will start again making tapping impossible then,” said Thomas.

Usually April-August is when the production of rubber comes down mainly because of the rains, resulting in more rubber being imported during this time. This year, 70,837 metric tonnes of rubber was imported from April-July. Last year, during the same period around 67,000 metric tonnes was imported. On August 1, the price of rubber (rss3) in Kottayam was Rs180 while in the international market it was Rs167 (Bangkok) on the same day.

The good price of the rubber may have also tempted planters like Thomas to start tapping despite this being Karkidakam.

Many planters are following Thomas’ example. Planters, who don’t use rain guards for the trees, start tapping only after monsoon ends in early September. But major planters tap during rainy season as they have rain guards to protect the trees.

“Since there are no rains, this is the ideal climate. Rubber tappers, who are jobless, can earn some bucks,” Thomas said. But he cautioned that rain shortage will hit rubber plantations next season since scanty rains can lead to a drought.

“There was no rainfall in my area for the past 9-10 days. This is bound to reflect next year,” he said. Meanwhile, rubber board climate experts said more rains are likely in October and November. But they won’t compensate the monsoon loss. Experts said Kottayam’s rainfall was 50% less than normal. Rubber board’s deputy director of public relations Satheesh Chandran advised all planters to use rain guards so that they can tap rubber during monsoon.

“The present climate is such that tapping is possible for anyone. But board recommends the use of rain guards so that tapping remains unaffected. Then only we can reap some benefits,” he said.

“Tapping is stopped during the February – March period as the moisture content in the soil is reduced. So an additional halt of 2-4 months due to the rains will affect a planter’s profits,” he said.