Agroforestry – The new Bio-economic Future?

The growth of the Indian Plywood and Panel Industry is fast-growing and widening yet, the inadequacy of raw material availability is a major hurdle faced by the industry as India is not rich in wood-fiber resources. As a result, there are heavy fluctuations in the supply of finished and unfinished goods. This is where Agroforestry comes in handy. Let us take the example of the last two decades, wherein the State Forest Development Corporations worked with farmers to create a sustained wood resource base of more than three million hectares of plantations over against which 70% were eucalyptus, under agroforestry. End result? Genetically improved and disease resistant clones with 150,000 hectares creating 70 million person-days of rural employment.

Currently, Agroforestry is practiced on 13.5million hectares in India meets almost half the demand for fuelwood but, there is definitely a vast scope for more. Additionally, it meets two-thirds of the demand for small timber and almost a whopping 70-80% of plywood. With its multipurpose utility Agroforestry satiates a surprising 60% demand of raw material for paper pulp and 9-11% requirement of green fodder and in the background meeting with general household needs of food, fruit, fiber, medicine, etc.

In this new awakened era of environment protection and conserving the tree cover-the Members of the Association are venturing in with making Agroforestry a hero and medium of the proliferation of growth and an environmentally sound future.

The agroforestry approach augments sustainable livelihood for small and marginal farmers and resource self-sufficiency for the Industry, a win-win proposition. The Agroforestry program is expected to increase farmer incomes, reduce the inward resource logistical costs and enhance assuredness of resource supply. The win-win arrangement – across farmers, the company, and the environment – makes responsible Agro forestry critical to the Company’s long-term sustainability. The larger the quantum generated by farmers, the more sustainable the business model of the industry, reducing its dependence on the need to buy from the open market.

The wood-based industry only uses leftover agro-residue from farms which otherwise is burnt in open fields causing enormous pollution. In the year 2019-20, over 3 million Agro-fibres are converted into 1.2 million cubic meter of usable furniture in rural India. Therefore this Industry plays a major role in boosting the economy of farmers and reviving the employment generation in rural areas.