Punjab is Prepared for Mandatory QCO

February 3, 2024
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Punjab Plywood Manufacturers Association

Shri Piyush Goyal

Hon’ble Minister of Commerce & Industry,

Subject: Urgent Need for Implementation of Mandatory BIS Marking on Plywood

Hon’ble Minister Shri Piyush Goyal,

This is to express our gratitude and congratulations for the Quality Control Orders (QCOs) notified by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) during the end of August 23 for the wood-based industries sector, encompassing Plywood, Wooden Flush Door Shutters & Block Boards.

Our industry will greatly benefit from these QCOs and this will significantly curb the influx of substandard Plywood & Block Boards into our country. We are fully equipped and ready for the immediate implementation of the QCOs as notified by DPIIT. We emphasize that WE DO NOT REQUIRE ANY EXTENSION OF THE DATE OF IMPLEMENTATION.

We would also like to humbly put forth the following points for your consideration:

A significant amount of substandard and low-quality Plywood is being imported and dumped in our country, adversely affecting the indigenous Plywood Industry.
Despite the government’s commendable efforts to promote ‘Make in India’, many importers are bringing in cheap quality Plywood. These importers are deceiving consumers and undermining local manufacturers by applying fake BIS markings to this low-quality imported Plywood in their godowns.
The Indian Plywood Industry, primarily reliant on plantation trees grown by farmers, faces a grave threat. If the rampant import of substandard Plywood continues unchecked, it will lead to the downfall of the local Plywood Industry, jeopardizing the livelihoods of farmers and rendering lakhs of workers employed in the Plywood Industries jobless.
Our industry has provided an alternative source of income to lakhs of farmers, helping them break free from the Wheat-Paddy Cycle by cultivating Eucalyptus and Poplar trees.
The enforcement of Mandatory BIS norms (QCOs) will be instrumental in ensuring quality products for our consumers and in curbing the import of substandard Plywood and Block Boards.

Thanking you once again for your attention to this crucial matter.

Inderjit Singh Sohal (President)

31/January/2024