The growing domestic demand for teak wood has prompted the Odisha Forest Development Corporation (OFDC) to import the timber from Africa in a bid to reduce the pressure on teak forests back home. The corporation, mandated with trading of timber in the State, will import teak wood from Ivory Coast.
The first lot is expected to reach the State by August first week. This is for the first time that timber would be imported from overseas. The corporation has planned to import about 5,000 cubic meter teak wood on an annual basis. In the first consignment, about 400 cubic meter will be purchased from the African nation.
Before zeroing in on Ivory Coast, the corporation scouted other African countries such as Nigeria and Ghana too. It also surveyed the market of Latin nation Ecuador as well as Myanmar. All these countries are known to for export of teak wood. However, the quality of wood available in Ivory Coast and the prices suited OFDC most.
“We were keen on Burmese teak wood but it is very expensive. If the teak wood available locally is priced at about ` 2,400 per cubic ft (cft) locally, Burmese teak wood costs about ` 3,400 per cft,” said official sources. On the other hand, the Ivory Coast teak is cheaper, acceptable and of required size and grain. Its international price is about $ 650 per cubic metre excluding transportation and landing.
The logic behind importing teak wood is based on the demand-supply dynamics for the timber which has a huge market in the State against a low availability. While the forests of Similipal and Satkosia have massive large natural teak plantations, the Forest and Environment Department wants to conserve them and not exert undue pressure from the market.
The demand for teak wood can be gauged from the fact that out of the total volume of timber handled by the corporation, teak wood constitutes about 3 percent. The OFDC annually handles about 30,000 cubic meter timber.
“This is sound environment logic for the State. We want to conserve our resources yet meet the market demand. This will also ensure that there is less pressure on the teak plantations as massive demand which leads to illegal felling as well as smuggling,” the sources added.