All India Rubber Industries Association

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Jul 09, 2025

AIRIA Eastern Region and the National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) jointly organised a symposium of export potential and support for MSME Rubber Industries at AIRIA Kolkata office

A symposium jointly organized by the Eastern Region of the All India Rubber Industries Association (AIRIA-ER) and the National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC), Kolkata, was held on Thursday, 12th June 2025, at the AIRIA Eastern Region Conference Hall. The event witnessed enthusiastic participation, with over 30 attendees representing diverse segments of the rubber MSME ecosystem.

The distinguished speakers at the aforementioned symposium were Dr. Anupam Gayen (General Manager and Zonal Head of the National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC)), who possesses 28 years of experience in the promotion of MSMEs throughout Eastern, Northeastern, and Northern India; Dr. K. Rangarajan, Professor of Strategy and head of the Kolkata Campus at the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), as well as Vice-Chair for South Asia at the Academy of International Business (AIB); and Mr. Bipul Bag, Senior Branch Manager at NSIC, Kolkata.

In his keynote address, Dr. Anupam Gayen emphasized that the NSIC is dedicated not only to acknowledging the significant domestic contributions of MSMEs but also to forging a new path towards global value creation through exports, especially in the realm of value-added rubber products. He emphasized that Eastern India possesses all the essential components necessary to establish a growing export foundation for Rubber MSMEs, including access to natural rubber and latex sourced from Northeast and Tripura.

He also outlined various opportunities tailored to specific countries and products for MSMEs operating in the rubber and allied sectors. This includes identifying in-demand products, the total imports of each respective country, and the potential of MSMEs in Eastern India with the support and strategy provided by NSIC. He emphasized the potential of certain products for specific countries, such as medical and healthcare rubber products for the USA, automotive and general rubber components for Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, industrial rubber hoses and seals for the UAE, Qatar, and Kenya, rubber footwear and soles for Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines, as well as rubber mats, flooring, and safety products for the EU, particularly Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden, among others.

Dr. Gayen encouraged the participants to engage in global trade, upgrade their products to meet international standards, and target appropriate markets with the support of NSIC.

He highlighted the leading ten rubber products exported from India along with their respective destinations, which are listed as follows:

4011	New pneumatic tyres, of rubber	USA, Germany, Brazil, UAE, Italy
4016	Articles of vulcanized rubber (excl. hard rubber), n.e.s.	USA, Germany, Netherlands, UK, UAE
4009	Tubes, pipes and hoses, of vulcanized rubber other than hard rubber, with or without their fittings, e.g. joints, elbows, flanges	USA, Germany, UK, Australia, Brazil
4010	Conveyor or transmission belts or belting, of vulcanized rubber	USA, Germany, Russian Federation, UAE, SA
4002	Synthetic rubber and factice derived from oils, in primary forms or in plates, sheets or strip; mixtures of natural rubber, balata, gutta-percha, guayule, chicle or similar types of natural rubber with synthetic rubber or factice, in primary forms or in plates, sheets or strip	Viet Nam, Sri Lanka, China, Thailand, USA
4008	Plates, sheets, strip, rods and profile shapes, of vulcanized rubber (excl. hard rubber)	USA, Netherlands, UK, Australia, Nepal
4013	Inner tubes, of rubber	UAE, Egypt, Bangladesh, Türkiye, Tanzania
4012	Retreaded or used pneumatic tyres of rubber; solid or cushion tyres, tyre treads and tyre flaps, of rubber	Thailand, USA, UK, UAE, Belgium
4003	Reclaimed rubber in primary forms or in plates, sheets or strip	China, USA, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Germany
4014	Hygienic or pharmaceutical articles, incl. teats, of vulcanized rubber (excl. hard rubber), with or without fittings of hard rubber, n.e.s. (excl. articles of apparel and clothing accessories, incl. gloves, for all purposes)	USA, South Africa, China, Brazil, Poland

He also highlighted that the retaliatory trade framework or the reciprocal tariff system established by the USA and India is presently subject to a 26% discounted reciprocal tariff. These reciprocal tariffs could adversely affect 87% of India's exports to the USA, which are valued at around $66.0 billion.

In conclusion to his presentation, he urged the attendees to explore opportunities in the international market and consider unconventional nations, such as those in the GCC and various African countries, to facilitate their entry into the export sector.

The Technical Support Scheme of NSIC aims to strengthen the technical capabilities of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) by providing access to empower MSMEs and entrepreneurs with technical knowledge, infrastructure, and skill sets, enhancing their productivity, quality, and competitiveness in domestic and global markets. He also highlighted the other schemes of NSIC, viz. NSIC SC-ST Hub Scheme, PM Biswakarma Scheme, Aspire Scheme, etc.

Following the conclusion of the presentation, a question-and-answer session took place during which attendees posed a variety of inquiries and expressed their contentment with the responses provided by the speakers.

The symposium concluded with a Vote of Thanks, which was followed by refreshments.