Dr Sawar Dhanania, Chairman of the Rubber Board, expressed optimism about the growth in both production and consumption of natural rubber (NR) in the Indian plantation sector. At the 185th meeting in Kottayam, he acknowledged the challenges such as price volatility, climate change, market issues, and labour shortage. Dr Dhanania emphasized the need for grassroots-level solutions to ensure sustainability and profitability.
“The efforts of the Rubber Board and the timely interference in disease control, adoption of rubber holdings for harvesting, formation of Rubber Tapper Groups (RTGs), etc., have resulted in the augmentation of NR production in the country. But, many challenges, including volatilities in rubber prices, climate change, market issues, labour shortage, etc., continue in the rubber sector. We need to find suitable solutions at the grassroots level to make the plantation sector more sustainable and profitable. In the present scenario, Rubber Producers’ Societies (RPSs) need further improvement in their governance and activities to face the various challenges in the rubber plantation sector. RPSs should become self-sufficient in their activities. The concept of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) in the RPS sector is a viable suggestion to experiment with in the coming days, Dr Dhanania said.

M Vasanthagesan IRS, Executive Director of the Rubber Board, provided an overview of the Indian NR sector. He reported an 8.3 percent growth in NR production, totalling 839,000 tonnes in 2022-23, with an average yield increase to 1,482 kg/ha. Domestic NR consumption reached a record high of 1,350,000 tonnes, reflecting a 9 percent increase from the previous year. The auto tyre sector saw a 4.8 percent growth, while the general rubber goods sector experienced a substantial 20.4 percent growth.

Auto-tyre manufacturing accounted for 70.3 percent of NR consumption in 2022-23. Projections for 2023-24 estimate NR production at 875,000 tonnes and consumption at 1400,000 tonnes. The Board commended the Union Government for increasing the import duty on compounded rubber to align with NR.

Additionally, the Committee recommended ensuring that the Rubber Production Incentive Scheme of the State Government reaches all small growers. The Rubber Board held meetings covering Staff Affairs, Strengthening of RPSs, and Research and development.

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Dr Suttipong Angthong, Secretary-General of the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC), served as a panellist at the Economic Forum 2026, hosted by the Royal Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur on 25 September 2026 at the Imperial Lexis Hotel. The event, titled ‘Bridging the Two Borders: Elevating Thailand – Malaysia Resilient Value Chains in Halal and Rubber Industries’, gathered government agencies, industry players, chambers of commerce, academia and think-tanks from both nations. H.E. Ms. Lada Phumas, Thailand's Ambassador to Malaysia, delivered welcoming remarks, followed by opening remarks from YB Tuan Haji Akmal Nasrullah bin Mohd Nasir, Malaysia's Minister of Economy.

Dr Angthong participated in Panel Session 2, titled ‘Strategic Partnership in Action: Advancing Thailand–Malaysia Sustainable Rubber Value Chain’, moderated by the Centre for IMT-GT Subregional Cooperation. Fellow panellists represented the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand, Thai Eastern Group Holdings PCL, the Northern Corridor Implementation Authority and the Malaysian Rubber Board. Discussions centred on upstream-downstream cooperation, border economic corridors, joint research and development, international standards compliance and safeguarding smallholders and grassroots stakeholders.

Dr Angthong outlined the natural rubber market landscape and challenges confronting ANRPC member nations, including sustainability and traceability demands in importing markets, price volatility and the imperative to increase value addition within producing countries.

“ANRPC welcomes cooperation among its member countries that supports a sustainable and resilient natural rubber sector. Regional dialogue of this kind helps members share experience on value addition, standards compliance and smallholder welfare. ANRPC will continue to support its members with statistics, market analysis and a platform for cooperation,” said Dr Angthong.

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Pirelli has confirmed the C2, C3 and C4 compounds as Hard, Medium and Soft for Formula 1’s return to Sepang International Circuit after a nine-year absence. The Malaysian venue replaces the Bahrain Grand Prix, which was not staged in April, and will test teams with machinery and tyres far removed from those used at the last race there in 2017.

Situated near Kuala Lumpur, the 5.543-kilometre circuit mixes long straights with high-speed corners, especially through the middle sector. Its medium energy demands place it in a severity range similar to Spa-Francorchamps and Shanghai, while ambient and track temperatures will make thermal degradation a central concern across the weekend.

Pirelli’s slightly more aggressive selection, compared with a more conservative harder trio, aims to broaden strategic options and narrow the gap between one-stop and two-stop approaches. Sepang’s abrasive surface is comparable in roughness to Bahrain, although grip is expected to be low on Friday before improving as the track evolves. Managing heat across both axles will be a principal difficulty.

The circuit has been modified in recent years, including resurfacing between Turns 6 and 12 in 2023 and further work around Turn 9. Additional levelling began in early September to remove asphalt irregularities, alongside cleaning to improve conditions. Pirelli engineers recently found the surface’s overall characteristics still closely matched those recorded in 2017.

Teams face a shortage of relevant data for the current car generation, making Friday practice unusually important for drivers familiarising themselves with a track many know only from simulators and for teams assessing balance and tyre behaviour. Afternoon thunderstorms, intense heat and high humidity could add further complexity, while Sepang hosts its 20th Grand Prix and remains a venue where Sebastian Vettel leads with four wins, Ferrari tops teams with seven and Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton share the pole record.

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The Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC) participated in CSCAP 2026, a regional forum on Accelerating Sustainable Consumption and Production for Climate Justice and Value Chain Resilience in Asia-Pacific. The event took place on 23–24 September 2026 at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok, Thailand. ANRPC was represented by Secretary-General Dr Suttipong Angthong upon the organisers' invitation.

The two-day forum was organised by AFMA, FeedUP@UN, Sustainism and the Rubber Authority of Thailand (RAOT). It gathered policymakers, industry leaders, smallholder cooperatives, civil society organisations, climate scientists and development practitioners from across Asia-Pacific. Discussions centred on SDG 12, SDG 13 and SDG 15, emphasising links between high-level policy and practical implementation in natural rubber, coconut and sugarcane sectors.

Rubber figured heavily in the discussions. On day one, a high-level panel examined sustainable rubber and derivatives, traceability and deforestation-free supply chains, weighing how producing countries handle the EU Deforestation Regulation, cross-border compliance and national biodiversity frameworks from farm to tyre. Later sessions explored affordable monitoring, reporting and verification tools for smallholders, sustainability-linked finance and a rights-based approach to climate justice.

Dr Angthong shared ANRPC's perspective on conditions in producing countries, where smallholders account for the vast majority of global output. He emphasised that sustainability requirements must be paired with practical support, fair pricing and affordable traceability solutions. This, he argued, would ensure smallholders are not shut out of sustainable markets but instead benefit from the transition.

Dr Angthong said, “Natural rubber is the livelihood of millions of smallholder families across our member countries. The shift towards deforestation-free, low-carbon supply chains is an opportunity for our sector – but only if it is inclusive. CSCAP 2026 provided a valuable platform for producers, buyers, regulators and financiers to work together on solutions that are credible, affordable and fair to farmers. ANRPC will continue to serve as the voice of producing countries in shaping these solutions.”

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Pirelli & C. S.p.A. (Pirelli) and ABET High Tech Solutions S.r.l. (ABET HTS) were formally notified on 28 September 2026 of a Prime Ministerial Decree approved on 24 September 2026. The measure followed a Golden Power Procedure initiated by the Prime Minister’s Office after the two companies submitted a joint notification concerning their defence-sector activities and related plans.

Central to that notification was a co-development agreement announced on 5 August 2026. The arrangement covers joint technological work on remote-controlled electric ground vehicles intended for rescue operations in particularly difficult and extreme environments and on challenging surfaces.

The decree identified as strategically significant for Italy’s defence system, under Article 1 of Legislative Decree No. 21 of 2012, both the defence-related work of Pirelli and ABET HTS and the co-development agreement itself. Consequently, the Cabinet exercised special powers over the matter.

Acting on maximum precaution and to safeguard fundamental national defence and security interests, the decree imposed techno-organisational measures on both firms. These are designed to protect industrial property rights, know-how, products and related data of strategic value while ensuring continuity and standards in their research and development activities in the sector, both current and future. Pirelli and ABET HTS received the decision favourably.

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