History
The Rubber Committee of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce which had looked after the interests of the Rubber Trade since 1891 noticed the need for a separate body to look into the interests of the Rubber Industry. A meeting was held on the 27th of November 1918 when the Colombo Rubber Traders' Association was formally inaugurated. The members at this meeting were well known in the business circles of Colombo such as M/s. Hayley, Durrent, Mackwood , Oldfield, Henry De Mel, John Y Tarbat. The British Government knighted the last two gentlemen. The first Chairman of the CRTA was Mr. J. Lochore of Carson & Co. Ltd. The Committee initially had nominees from the sellers and buyers. The Brokers joined the committee thereafter.

The representatives on the CRTA were exclusively European till Mr. S T L De Soysa from C W Mackie & Co. Ltd became the buyer representative on the CRTA Committee in 1945. The first rubber sale was held on 4th of November 1910 before the formation of the CRTA. The war years saw the rubber auction being suspended. The first crepe auction after the war years was held on 2nd June 1950. The first sheet auction was held on the 30th of April 1981, after the termination of the Rubber/Rice pact with the Peoples Republic of China. The First sale of latex by Auction was held on the 24th of January 1997.

 
Mission
"To be the Premier Forum for Rubber"
Objectives
  • To facilitate efficient and transparent trade between sellers, producers, buyers, exporters & dealers
  • To assist the growth and sustainability of the Rubber Industry in Sri Lanka.
  • To assist growth of value addition in the Industry by promoting Rubber based products manufacturing and to support the Industry efforts in moving up the value chain to become closer to consumers.
  • Promote co-operation among all sectors of the Industry through clustering to create a Synergistic and dynamic Rubber industry.
  • To assist innovation, investments and productivity enhancements across the Industry.
  • To promote Sri Lanka's Rubber and Rubber products in global markets.
  • To effectively address major issues that affects the Rubber Industry.
  • To create and lead the Private-Public dialogue relevant to the Rubber Industry Initiatives.
  • To create and nurture new and productive relationships to harness support for the Rubber Industry.
  • To play the role of good Corporate citizens by promoting sound environmental norms, business ethics and fair social practices.
  • To safeguard and promote the common interest of members by taking prompt, legitimate and effective action to satisfy their business and professional needs.
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© Colombo Rubber Traders’ Association