Natural rubber production in the country has gone past 800,000 tonnes in 2022-23, after a gap of 10 years, according to provisional figures available from the Rubber Board.

Production reached 839,000 tonnes, just short of the revised target of 840,000 tonnes set for the year, an increase of 8.3 percent over the output of 775,000 tonnes a year earlier. Production growth in 2021-22 was 7 percent.

Last time the production went over 800,000 tonnes was in 2012-13 when it touched 913,700 tonnes. After that year, the production oscillated between 600,000 and 800,000 tonnes with the exception of 2015-16 when it reached a low of 562,000 tonnes.

Consumption has grown 9 percent to 1.35 million tonnes for the year. Though the consumption growth has tapered down from 13 percent in 2021-22, it is still moving at a faster pace than production, especially after the Covid-19 threats waned.

On the face of it, the improved output seems to have reduced the dependence on imports during the year. Rubber imports, at the provisional figure of 530,000 tonnes, marked a 3 percent decline over 2021-22, when it stood at 546,369 tonnes.