Agroforestry and Its Contribution to India’s Wood-Based Industries

According to the recently released India State of Forest Report (ISFR)- 2023, India’s recorded forest area (RFA) covers approximately 775 lakh hectares (ha), accounting for around 23.6% of the country’s geographical expanse. Since 1987, the Forest Survey of India (FSI), Dehradun, has been conducting assessments of forest and tree cover using remote sensing techniques, which have been periodically updated to improve accuracy.

As per the ISFR – 2023, India’s forest and tree cover (FTC) spans 827 lakh hectares, accounting for 25.2% of the country’s total geographical area. This comprises 520 lakh hectares of forest cover (FC) inside recorded forest areas and 307 lakh hectares of area under trees outside forests (TOF).

According to ISFR-2023, India’s tree green cover area under agroforestry was 127 lakh hectares in 2023. As per ISFR-2023, the potential production of industrial wood from TOF, mainly from agroforestry, has been estimated as 915 lakh m³ per year, which is an increase of 30% over the estimates of industrial wood reported in ISFR- 2017 and meets about 85% demand of industrial wood of India.

Andhra Pradesh and Telangana lead in commercial agroforestry due to the promotion of clonal forestry by ITC Bhadrachalam Pvt. Ltd. This initiative has popularized the cultivation of eucalyptus, casuarinas, and subabul in South India, thereby meeting the raw material demands of the wood-based industry and promoting commercial agroforestry nationwide. Tamil Nadu agricultural university played a major role in popularisation of the cultivation of Melia dubia (Malabar neem).

Secondly, in the 1980s, progressive farmers of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana started the cultivation of tree crops like eucalyptus and poplar, finding them more profitable than traditional agricultural crops. Research and development efforts by the FRI in Dehradun and the establishment of WIMCO in the former Uttar Pradesh (now Uttarakhand) played a crucial role in promoting poplar cultivation.

As a result of commercial agroforestry, these states produced substantial amounts of farm wood, fostering the growth of the plywood industry and producing about 50-60% of the country’s plywood and panel products, with Yamuna Nagar in Haryana emerging as the plywood capital of India.

However, from 2013 to 2023, the area under agroforestry in Uttar Pradesh increased by 1.9 lakh ha while it remained almost stagnant in Punjab and Haryana states as per ISFR, 2023.

Currently, these states face stagnation in agricultural crop yields and a declining water table, necessitating special efforts to boost the cultivation of tree crops to diversify the wheat-paddy cycle.

Recommendations

Based on above observations, following recommendations are made for the growth of wood-based industries in India.

• Agroforestry has significantly contributed to increasing forest cover outside RFAs and tree cover in southern India. Given the large coastal expanse of many of the southern states, this advantage can be further harnessed to develop wood-based industries in the region.
• Additionally, the large South Indian diaspora presents an opportunity to expand the export of wood products from this area.
• In northern states of Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, commercial agroforestry has also substantially increased forest cover outside RFAs, and tree cover on farmlands, resulting in greater wood production from farmlands and fostering the growth of wood-based industries.

This region has the potential to become an export hub for wood-based products which would also support the diversification of agricultural crops.

India’s forest and tree cover story is one of mixed results-significant progress in TOF growth through agroforestry contrasts with challenges in maintaining dense forest cover within the RFAs. By embracing agroforestry, India can sustainably balance ecological and developmental needs.

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