Identify & Recognise Farm Produced wood as farming produce : FIPPI

To

Shri Narendra Singh Tomar

Hon’ble Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare,

SUBJECT: Identify & Recognise Farm Produced wood as farming produce under The Farmers (Endowment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020.

Although the entire wood procured by plywood and panel industries is from farmers having Agro- Forestry plantations, there is no mention of such wood in the definition of Farming Produce under Section 2 subsection (a).

Such wood grown on farmers’ lands requires a certificate that the sourcing of such wood, is not from any forest origin. Such certifications are very costly and it has not been viable to handle the procedures involved especially for small farmers. This situation is becoming a problem to both farmers as well as the plywood industries – in order to explore global competitiveness of Indian plywood products.

The plywood and panel industry has purely shifted to farm produced wood as raw material after the implementation of National Forest Policy 1988 in the light of judgements of Hon’ble Supreme Court and is entirely independent of forests and forest based raw materials.

The Indian Forest Act, 1927, Chapter 1, Section 2 – Interpretation clause, (4)(a) states – “forest produce” includes – (a) the following whether found in, or brought from, a forest or not, that is to say :– timber, charcoal, caoutchouc, catechu, wood-oil, resin, natural varnish, bark, lac, mahua flowers, mahua seeds, and myrobalms, and….

Treating Farm-produce timber as under the definition of ‘farming produce’ of The Farmers (Endowment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020, and thereby facilitating contract farming of agroforestry species such as Popular, Eucalyptus, Melia, Casuarina Ailentus, Kadamb, toona, mangium and such other species (Silver oak, rubberwood) as per the needs of plywood & panel sector industries. The price fluctuation and demand and supply scenario can be managed to the mutual benefits of farmers and the industries as enshrined in the objectives of the ordinance.

Sajjan Bhajanka                                                                                                                                                            President, Federation of Indian Plywood & Panel Industry

(Excerpt from the letter)