Last year, Ply Reporter predicted the easing up of Poplar supplies in North India, a trend that has been observed in the last three months. The Ply Reporter anticipates that after the grain harvest, when Poplar becomes available for the harvest, the prices will be tending towards easing up. The expected range by this year end is hoped to stabilize between Rs 1000 to Rs 1100 per quintal. This is a notable decrease from the Rs 1400 - 1500 range observed during 2022 to 2023. The expected availability is attributed to extensive plantations underway in Punjab, Haryana, the Tarai belt of Uttar Pradesh, and other parts of North India. Additionally, it is projected that core veneers arriving at Indian ports from various countries will likely be more accessible for plywood manufacturers in 2024.
The availability of timber has seen improvement, driven by the abundance of poplar in North India and the introduction of Melia Dubia and Eucalyptus in the Southern regions. In Southern India, there has been an increase in timber consumption, while plantation efforts so 2024 is certainly becoming easier on raw material availability front expect Ply Reporter. The sales of Eucalyptus, Poplar and Melia Dubia clones across the country have been robust since 2018 onwards. Even the mid-size plywood industry or a small farmer has started planted fast growing clones since last 3-4 years seeing the coming time. The possibility of sustained timber supply is expected to show up in year 2024.
Companies like Action TESA has established a nursery and research & development facility in Uttarakhand. Greenply Industries are engaging in plantation initiatives with their Green-Rise project that was initiated at their Tizit plant in Nagaland but now has spreads to each location where they have a plant. In a similar vein, Century Ply undertook a plantation drive at the Hoshiarpur MDF plant, collaborating with various nurseries. Rushil Decor, on the other hand, carried out a plantation initiative in Karnataka. Greenlam Industries Limited has also recently started agroforestry drive. Companies like ITC, JK Paper, and others have been actively involved in extensive plantation efforts spanning decades. Furthermore, the Adani Group has initiated the largest plantation push in India, aiming to plant 10 million trees by 2030.