Rubber Board to Mitigate EU Deforestation Regulation Impact

Kottayam (Kerala), Aug 6 (PTI) The Rubber Board would take the necessary steps to ensure that the European Union's Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) does not adversely impact the rubber exports from the country, its Executive Director M Vasanthagesan said here on Tuesday.


The European Union's Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) would take effect on December 31, 2024 and according to this, rubber products from forests cannot be exported to European countries.


This new law of the European Union stipulates that products exported to EU, including rubber and rubber products, must be produced in a way that does not harm the environment, he said.


The main objective of this legislation is to promote sustainable and environment-friendly production methods worldwide.


"India has already started efforts to address the potential needs in the domestic natural rubber sector upon the implementation of EUDR," Vasanthagesan said.


The Indian Institute of Plantation Management has conducted a study on the impact of this regulation on the country's production and export sectors, he said.


"In this regard, the Rubber Board has initiated the process of finding a service provider to implement the necessary activities in the Indian rubber plantation sector," the executive director further said.


The Rubber Board aims to implement the EUDR regulation in consultation with various stakeholders to protect their interests, he added.


Explaining the challenges being faced by the sector, he said heavy rain has caused a significant reduction in tapping days, especially in the traditional areas.


"Due to adverse weather conditions, many growers could not guard their trees in time. This has resulted in production loss and a rubber shortage in the domestic market," he said.


In the meantime, the automobile industry has registered positive growth and has favoured increasing the demand for natural rubber in the tyre manufacturing sector, the official added.