09 Nov 2024        15:03:39 pm

Geography

Rubber

Tags : Rubber

Topic: Agriculture

Why in the news?

• Rubber products manufacturing companies are facing challenges as natural rubber prices have surged by over 33% in first five months of this fiscal year
• Amid rapid expansion of the automobile industry, the rubber prices have skyrocketed owing to the market dynamics of an imbalance in the supply and demand of raw rubber.
• The last time such a surge was recorded was more than a decade back in 2011.

Source: Down To Earth

About Rubber:

• Natural rubber is a polymer made up of a chemical molecule called isoprene. 
• It is a native of the Amazon basin which was introduced to countries in the tropical belts of Asia and Africa in the late nineteenth century. 
• Climatic conditions required for Rubber
  • It requires moist and humid climates with heavy rainfall of more than 200 cm. 
  • It grows well in equatorial climates and temperatures above 25 degrees Celsius. 
  • It requires well-drained, weathered soils.
• India is the world’s largest producer and the third-largest user of natural rubber. 
• Rubber Growing Areas in India:
  • Traditional regions include Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari District and Kerala. 
  • Non-traditional regions include Coastal Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra’s Konkan Region, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Orissa, the northeastern provinces, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, among other places.

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