RUBBER

Disclaimer: Copyright infringement not intended.

Context

India's natural rubber production is likely to fall sharply in October and November, as heavy rains have been disrupting tapping activity in the country's top producing southern state of Kerala.

About

Rubber consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds.
The main chemical constituents of rubber are elastomers, or “elastic polymers,” large chainlike molecules that can be stretched to great lengths and yet recover their original shape.
Thailand and Indonesia are two of the leading rubber producers.
India is the world's second-biggest consumer of natural rubber.

Rubber plant

Hevea brasiliensis, or rubber tree or rubber plant, is a flowering plant belonging to the spurge family Euphorbiaceae. The milky latex extracted from the tree is the primary source of natural rubber.
brasiliensis is a tall deciduous tree.
The tree requires a tropical or subtropical climate with a minimum of about 1,200 mm per year of rainfall, and no frost. If frost does occur, the results can be disastrous for production.
In the wild, the tree can reach a height of up to 140 feet (43 m).
In plantations, the trees are generally smaller for two reasons:
Trees grow more slowly when they are tapped for latex, and
Trees are generally cut down after only 30 years, because latex production declines as trees age, and they are no longer economically productive.
The natural rubber tree takes between seven and ten years to deliver the first harvest.
As latex production declines with age, rubber trees are generally felled when they reach the age of 25 to 30 years.
Originally, the South American rubber tree grew only in the Amazon rainforest.
Early attempts were made in 1873 to grow brasilensis outside Brazil.
Gradually, rubber was extensively propagated in the British colonies including India.