Top sources in the Rubber Board told The Financial Express that the board has firmed up a two-pronged strategy to export raw rubber surplus piled up in the market to potential buyer countries. The first part of the strategy is aimed at educating the potential raw rubber exporters about the nitty-gritty of the process, the source said.

The seminar will cover themes such as export norms, credit and foreign exchange aspects, customs regulations and shipping procedures.

Representatives from the Joint Directorate of Foreign Trade, the Reserve Bank of India, Customs and Central Excise andthe shipping industry would present papers. The seminar would kick off the commodity board's exercise to bring out a comprehensive strategy aimed at improving the export of raw natural rubber from the country, the source pointed out. The board is exploring the export potential of raw rubber currently. It is in constant touch with a host of potential buying countries in this regard, the source added.

A major hurdle on the export way would be the status of Indian rubber in the global market. India has long been a net importer of natural rubber. Therefore, the country has to start from the scratch if it wants to sell raw rubber in the international market, industry sources feel.

The board's entry into the export promotion drive came in the wake of an unprecedented crisis that gripped the once lucrative natural rubber industry. The price of natural has crashed by over 50 per cent during the past two years. Official estimates put the excess supply in the market approximately at 85,000 tonnes. There are alsoreports that growers are losing interest and are slowing down the re-planting and new planting activities following the crisis. The Kerala government had made a plethora of promises, including export of natural rubber even suffering losses, to save the rubber growers. Several state-run agencies also went on record saying that they would export raw rubber in a bid to tide over the crisis. However, all these promises were in vain as the total exports of raw rubber during the last fiscal was estimated at 1,400 tonnes.