Will Sri Lanka's Rubber Industry Bounce Back ?

Will Sri Lanka’s rubber industry bounce back?
By Ananda S Wijayarathne
An improvement in prices has been responsible for an increase in rubber production last year and the first seven months of this year. This has resuscitated new hopes of a revival of rubber production and the development of a viable and productive rubber industry. Whether this is possible in view of a secular decline in rubber production for over three decades, is an interesting question.
Increase in production ; In 2002 rubber production recorded a modest increase of 5 million kilograms after years of declining production. Last year's increase in rubber production of 5.2 per cent is a comparison with the previous year's production that was the lowest ever. This increasing trend of last year has continued into the first seven months of this year, when rubber production increased by 2.3 per cent to 53.8 metric tons. It is likely that rubber production this year could be around 95 million metric tons. This would ...