The recent development of the trade in wild rubber may be traced in the following table, which shows the history for nearly a century of the most important kind, namely Para rubber, the produce of Hevea brasiliensis. Prior to the development of the planting industry in the East, the export of Para rubber from Brazil represented about half the world's total supply of the raw material.

Table I. Exports Of Para Rubber From Brazil

Wild rubbers from Africa and Asia did not begin to come into the market in large quantities until after the Brazilian trade was well established. For example the exports from the Congo State rose from 30 tons in 1887 to 2000 tons in 1897. At the same date similar amounts were being exported from Lagos and from the Gold Coast. A thousand tons of rubber were however exported from British India as early as 1873.