Tyre makers have urged Finance Minister P. Chidambaram to maintain the current import duty structure on natural rubber imports.
Any hike in import duty on natural rubber will throttle growth of the consuming sector (tyre & non-tyre) in India, Anant Goenka, Chairman of Automotive Tyre Manufacturers’ Association (ATMA), said in a letter to Chidambaram here.
ATMA represents tyre companies that account for 95 per cent of tyre industry in terms of tonnage and turnover.Instead of clamping import restrictions on a key raw material (like natural rubber), the Government may consider encouraging natural rubber exports whenever domestic natural rubber prices are lower than international prices.

Source - http://www.thehindubusinessline.com