Addressing the Bharat Mobility Expo, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the auto industry to come together and work with farmers to reduce rubber imports.
"I still don't understand why India being an agricultural nation has to import rubber. Can the tyre industry association not come together with farmers and guide them and offer (them) a market," Modi said. "I am of the firm opinion that India's farmer can fulfill the auto industry's rubber needs," he added.
Emphasising on the role of research and development, he alluded to the work being done on GM rubber the world over and India had not explored that right now.
Today, with research there is a lot of work happening on the genetically modified rubber tree and We have not explored the use of it in India right now. I request the rubber industry to partner with farmers, he said.
"We should move ahead with an integrated holistic approach. We should not think in pieces," he stated adding that rather than importing rubber, the industry shoudl think about how the Indian farmer can be strengthened, and then the country can grow.
He again urged everyone can work together, come up with innovative ideas, and harness the strengths of working in cohesion.
Apart from its purchases from the local market, India has been importing over 5 lakh tonnes of natural rubber annually in the last couple of years to meet its requirements.
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