Year 23, will be a favourable year for North based well equipped and better managed plywood plants. With growing demand in calibrated ply, pre-laminated plywood and housing led demand segment, 23 will be comparatively better year for well organised plants of North. Year 2021–22, the timber prices marked new high and a continued 2022-23 phase. 2023 will mark a point of return curve from May onwards specially in Poplar. Ply Reporter predicts that the new season's timber, i.e., poplar, will begin arriving in the middle of 2023.
t will begin easing up the pressure on supply and prices of timber a little and to gain momentum by end months of year 23. Though Ply Reporter believes that prices of timber won’t go down significantly in short term. The increasing supply will again be a temporary arrangement for another 2-3 years though a lot will depend on companies rile in plantation activities.
Since Haryana and Punjab lead in poplar plantations, accounting for roughly 85% of total plantation area, it signals to strong return of alternate plywood in 2023. Uttar Pradesh will continue to struggle for Safeda thus momentum will be slowly tilting in favour of Alternate plywood 2023 onwards. The ply reporter forecast pattern is able to sense a reduction in timber prices of Poplar by Rs 250-350 by 23 ends where as a softening of Rs 100-150 in Eucalyptus in Punjab region and Haryana regions. Uttar Pradesh will take another year to reach to comfortable zone.
The government initiatives will also help the industry with new wood based industry guidelines to sustain the plywood industry in North India. The development of new clones, possibilities of higher income, comfort in timber plantations, awareness among planters, the growing number of nurseries, new wood-based industries, and cash crop nature will be helping in smoothening availability of timber in North. Year 23 will mark a beginning of better time compared to 2022.