In a working paper on ‘Agroforestry: Missing Trees for the Forests,’, EAC-PM member Sanjeev Sanyal proposed creating a single window clearance at the central level with a uniform process to obtain transit and felling permits while recommending government mandate proving ownership of trees instead of ownership of land to put India on the path to going from a teak importer to a leading exporter.
“A stringent, complex and cumbersome regulatory policy combined with a conservation-led approach to forestry has stifled the growth of agroforestry in India,” Sanyal said in his paper, co-authored with Karan Shinghal from the Council on Energy Environment and Water and Naveen Bali from Koan Advisory.
Consequently, India has become a net importer of timber with the country imported over $2.7 billion worth of timber in 2023, which equals almost 12% of all agro based imports for the same year, it said.
Quoting a study, the report said between 2010 and 2019, 42% of total timber imports into India came from “at-risk countries”, while 80% of teak and more than 70% of Gurjan came from high-risk countries or conflict-affected states.
“The policy change proposed will put India on the path to going from a teak importer to a leading exporter, enhancing farmers’ income and improving the carbon content of the soil,” the paper said.According to the paper, the global demand for teak is currently valued at $43.26 billion and its dependent wood-based industries like furniture are expected to grow both domestically and globally at a combined annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.9% (Danish 2023) and 8.6% (Skyquest 2024) respectively. “Therefore, replacing teak imports by scaling up domestic production through agroforestry provides not only a low-cost opportunity to reduce imports worth $350 million per year but, more importantly, create new economic opportunities for farmers, artisans and manufacturers by making India a leader in the global teak market,” it said.
“The policy change proposed below will put India on the path to going from a teak importer to a leading exporter, enhancing farmers’ income and improving the carbon content of the soil,” it added.
Outlining the earlier precedence of deregulation of bamboo and sandalwood, the paper suggested these trees should be added to the list of trees exempt from the requirement of obtaining permits in their respective felling and transit acts.
“Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh have a presence of over 1,900 plywood and veneer-making units (Sinha 2018) and hence could be prioritised for the deregulation of Teak and other high-value species, as an already available market will make it easier for farmers to adopt them in their farms,” it said.
As per the paper, creating a single window clearance at the central level and laying out a uniform process to obtain transit and felling permits will resolve the issue of the farmer needing to go to different departments because of multiple acts and different rules governing the felling of trees.
Mandating the ownership of tree instead of land as an ownership proof, the paper said it can be done by using the latest tracking technologies like blockchain, microchips, QR codes, etc. “These changes would simplify the complexities created by the multiple acts and reduce the burden of proving land ownership,” it added.