[03 Dec] India November Natural Rubber Output up 7.8% on Year

India's natural rubber output in November rose 7.8% from a year earlier to 103,000 metric tons, a senior official with the state-run Rubber Board said Wednesday.

"Production is likely to rise next month too due to the peak tapping season," said the official, who didn't want to be named.

In India, the October-March period is the peak tapping season.

However, in the April-November period, rubber production in the world's fourth-largest producer fell 6.6% on year to 538,000 tons due to production losses in the first half, the official said.

Consumption in November too rose 7.8% to 79,000 tons.

Higher consumption also led to a 4% rise in imports to 5,973 tons.

Rubber stocks at the end of November totaled 246,000 tons, compared with 175,000 tons a year ago.

Last week the board revised down its natural rubber production forecast for the marketing year that started April 1 to 840,000 tons from an earlier projection of 867,000 tons.

The board also raised its 2009-10 import target to 140,000 tons from 80,000 tons earlier.

(Source: irco.biz)