Tyre Makers Look to Bengal for Producing Natural Rubber

The Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association (ATMA) announced that tyre companies are investing ₹100 crore in skill development and infrastructure for improving the quality and production of natural rubber in the Northeast and parts of West Bengal. This initiative, known as Project Indian Natural Rubber Operations (INROAD), is a pioneering effort aimed at directly supporting rubber plantations. 

Arnab Banerjee, Chairman of ATMA and Managing Director of CEAT Ltd, stated that INROAD is a unique global project where the tyre industry itself is driving the growth of rubber plantations. Supported financially by ATMA members such as Apollo Tyres, CEAT, JK Tyre, and MRF, the project is being implemented in collaboration with the Rubber Board of India. 

Over the past four years, the initiative has achieved significant milestones, including the development of 1,25,272 hectares of new rubber plantations across 94 districts in the Northeast and West Bengal. Additionally, 5.3 crore planting materials have been distributed to small-scale landowners with holdings of less than one acre, marking a record achievement in rubber plantation efforts in India. 

The primary goals of Project INROAD are to boost both the production and quality of natural rubber, enabling growers to fetch better prices for their produce. The project also focuses on providing digital training to growers and creating essential infrastructure like model smokehouses, processing facilities, and grading centres to improve post-harvest processes.

This initiative underscores the tyre industry’s commitment to fostering sustainable agricultural practices and empowering small-scale rubber growers in India.