Timber is at an all-time high in UP as the eucalyptus price has crossed over Rs 800 for plywood making. The scenario has pushed back to Plywood producers in state, as they view that timber supply will not improve in another 3 years due to fewer plantations in the state.
The Industry people say that if we observe, we can see the demand for timber has risen all of a sudden due to the emergence of more particle boards and MDF manufacturing units in the northern region, and neither the farmers, nursery owners, nor the industrialists themselves had the foresight to expect such a high demand for timber in the wood panel industry in India.
One of the leading industrialists in the region and the President, UP Plywood Manufacturers Welfare Association Mr. Ashok Agarwal said that the timber availability is not there and the factory operation has reached to 50%. The demand as well as the payment is also not good, and the price viability is also not good at the factory level. “I'm hoping that the availability of timber will improve in three to four years. However, it is expected that good-quality timber will be scarce because MDF plants take lower-girth timber at a good price, so farmers will not be waiting for quality timber to be produced.
The current situation is even worse than the situation during the COVID period. We are trying to import from Uganda. But there is a freight issue because it is a landlocked state.” The plantation is going on at a fast UTTAR PRADESH FACTORIES STARING AT PAINFUL PHASE WITH VERY HIGH CORE VENEER COST pace. Now there are no saplings available at WIMCO. Melia dubia is an option, but it is not as good as poplar and eucalyptus, he added.
Mr J N Gandhi, Manager R&D, Wimco Seedlings, ITC Limited, PSPD said that in comparison to Haryana, the plantation is very less in UP. WIMCO has planted nearly 30 lakh trees, including 10 lakh in Saharanpur. But in Haryana and Punjab, the plantation scenario is very good. We are estimating the availability of timber for wood panel industry in the near future. The industry will have easier access to timber in the northern region if the 3 crore plantation is completed and its yield reaches 85%.
The industry is dependent on farmers, and to sustain the industry, players have to take initiative to be self sufficient in terms of timber. After many discussions, there is no such body that can take care of the initiative to plant timber by industry people, which is a great need for the future development of the industry. Mr Ashok Agarwal said that the industry people have to develop a nursery in every district and encourage the plantation by associating with farmers and industry people on a platform.