Riding over robust domestic market demand, India has now overtaken US to become the world's second largest consumer of natural rubber after China.
According to the annual data released by the Rubber Board recently, India's domestic rubber consumption grew by 2.7 per cent to 9.05 lakh tonnes in 2009 from 8.81 lakh tonnes in 2008.
Meanwhile, the rubber consumption in the US declined by 34 per cent at 6.87 lakh tonnes from 10.41 lakh tonnes. China, which consumed 34.6 lakh tonnes of natural rubber in 2009 as against 29.40 lakh tonnes in the previous year, had the maximum consumption.
Nothwithstanding the rubber consumption in the Asian giant countries, the global natural rubber consumption decreased by 7.7 per cent to 9.39 million tonnes in 2009 as against 10.17 million tonnes consumption in 2008.
Rubber Board said that the country's total consumption of natural rubber grew on the back of automobile sector demand.
"The auto tyre sector registered a growth of 13.4 per cent as against 2.5 per cent achieved during 2008-09, which is the highest growth since 2003-04," it added.
The Board attributed the growth to rise in production of truck and bus tyres by 15 per cent and 21 per cent in production of passenger car tyres during 2009-10 over the previous fiscal.
According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, total vehicles sales in India in 2009-10 grew by 26.41 per cent at 1,22,92,770 units as against 97,24,243 units in the previous financial year.
Rubber Board has projected consumption for 2010-11 fiscal at 9.78 lakh tonnes with a growth of 5 per cent.
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