India's natural rubber imports jump 47 percent

India's natural rubber imports in January jumped 47 percent from a year earlier to 30,441 tonnes as lower prices in world markets prompted tyremakers to increases overseas purchases, an official with the state-run Rubber Board said on Friday. India imported 359,857 tonnes of natural rubber from April to December, higher than the previous financial year's 325,190 tonnes, said the official, who declined to be named. The south Asian country imports natural rubber from Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia.