Natural rubber output up a tad despite Covid shutdown June 01, 2021 KN Raghavan, Executive Director, Rubber Board - Bijoy Ghosh× Imports down on reduced domestic consumption India’s natural rubber production increased a tad during the 2020-21 fiscal despite the shutdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic but consumption dropped as a result. This also led to lower imports last fiscal. Despite a trying first quarter in the last fiscal, natural rubber production increased to 7.15 lakh tonnes (lt) compared with 7.12 lt in 2019-20. The rise came after the production in the first quarter dropped by 41,000 tonnes to 82,000 tonnes (1.23 lakh tonnes). Natural rubber consumption declined to 10.96 lt against 11.34 lt in 2019-20.