Mumbai (INDIA) : The All-India Rubber Industries Association (AIRIA) has called on the government to refrain from introducing further restrictions on the import of rubber compounds. Mr. Ramesh Kejriwal, President of AIRIA, 1,12,500 tonnes of rubber have been imported this year under “4005 Compounded rubber, unvulcanised, in primary forms or in plates, sheets or strip” for use in conveyor belts, hoses and O rings manufacturing. These imports are subject to a basic duty of 10%, IGST of 18% and surcharge of 10%. AIRIA strongly urges the Government not to impose any additional restrictions on these imports as they are integral to many industries across India.

The All-India Rubber Industries Association (AIRIA) has voiced its concern over the existing import duties on natural rubber, which include a basic duty of 25%, additional duty of 5% and surcharge of 10%. Furthermore, present Indian production of natural rubber is not enough to meet the demand for consumption at 12.38 lakhs tonnes during 2021- 2022. Considering these facts, AIRIA President Ramesh Kejriwal urged the government to remove import duty on natural rubber and to refrain from any more restrictions on importing compound rubbers.

Mr. Kejriwal noted that India does not produce rubber EPDM and as a result, its costs have risen due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and fluctuations in currency exchange rates. He has urged the government to facilitate increased production of this material domestically and provide import duty relief on a temporary basis. This is necessary in order to prevent further price increases within the industry and ensure that businesses are able to continue functioning at an optimal level.

The President of the All-India Rubber Industries Association (AIRIA) cautioned against providing any duty concessions when negotiating trade agreements with other countries for rubber products. In a memorandum submitted to the Union Government, Mr. Ramesh Kejriwal stressed that India's rubber industry manufactures all types of rubber products and thus should not be subject to such concessions.