The International Natural Rubber Organization (INRO) is the intergovernmental commodity body established in 1980 for the purpose of administering the provisions and supervising the operation of the International Natural Rubber Agreement, 1979, which was subsequently renewed twice, under the International Natural Rubber Agreement, 1987 and the International Natural Rubber Agreement, 1995. The current Agreement (INRA 1995) was adopted by the United Nations Conference on Natural Rubber, 1994 on 17 February 1995 at Geneva. It entered into force provisionally on 6 February 1997 and definitively on 14 February 1997. The headquarters of INRO is in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The main objective of the Agreement is to achieve a balanced growth between the supply of and demand for natural rubber, thereby helping to alleviate the serious difficulties arising from surpluses or shortages of natural rubber. INRO operates through price stabilization and development.
To achieve stable conditions in the natural rubber trade through avoiding excessive natural price fluctuations, an international Buffer Stock of a maximum capacity of 550,000 tonnes was established as the sole instrument of market intervention. Member governments have committed themselves to finance the cost of the Buffer Stock.
Natural rubber is research dependent. INRO plays
its role in the development by initiating, promoting and helping to setup
and find the financing for economic studies and research programs; it
is also a forum for meetings and discussions.
