Safeguarding Traders from Unwarranted BIS Enforcement Actions

As per the Government of India’s new Quality Control Orders, mandatory BIS certification has been implemented on Plywood, MDF, and Particle Board effective 28.02.2025, through notification in the Gazette.

This initiative by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is aimed at improving product quality and ensuring compliance with ISI standards.

ABPLTA fully supports this move towards standardisation and consumer protection.

However, over the past few months, we have observed a growing concern across markets: BIS enforcement teams are conducting raids at dealer and trader establishments, registering cases and damaging the professional image of genuine traders.

We wish to place the following facts on record:

• Traders Are Not Manufacturers

Dealers and traders do not produce plywood or panels. We sell material supplied by manufacturing units. Responsibility for BIS licensing and ISI marking lies squarely with factories.

• Ground Reality of the Industry

Today, India has approximately 6000+ plywood manufacturing units, while only around 1200 factories currently hold valid BIS licenses (as per government portal data).

This means 4000+ factories are still operating without BIS approval, yet material from these units continues to flow openly in the market.

In such a scenario, expecting every trader to technically verify ISI authenticity—when systems are still evolving—is practically impossible.

• Traders Are Becoming Soft Targets

Instead of strict action at the source (unlicensed factories), enforcement is happening at the last point of sale. This is unfair and creates fear among small and medium traders who are already under pressure from compliance costs, market slowdown, and working-capital challenges.

• Need for Industry-Wide Awareness & Support

Unfortunately, larger industry bodies such as Federation of Indian Plywood & Panel Industry (FIPPI) and other organisations have not yet taken sufficient initiative to protect or educate traders at a pan-India level.

ABPLTA strongly feels that large-scale awareness seminars, SOP circulars, and joint guidelines should have been rolled out before enforcement began.

• Ø ABPLTA Recommendations to Safeguard Traders

We humbly propose the following immediate measures:

1. Manufacturer Accountability First

• Primary enforcement must be at factory level, not dealer counters.
• Without stopping unlicensed production, market raids serve no long-term purpose.

2. Mandatory Manufacturer Declaration

Every supply must carry:

• BIS License Number
• ISI marking on boards
• Written declaration on invoice / delivery challan

Without this, traders cannot be held liable.

3. Temporary Transition Period

• A 6–12 month grace period should be provided to traders while factories complete BIS licensing.

4. Central BIS Verification Portal / App

BIS should launch a simple mobile-based verification system where traders can instantly cross-check ISI numbers.

5. National Awareness Programs

Joint seminars by BIS + Industry Associations across all major plywood markets to educate dealers on:

• Identifying genuine ISI marking
• Legal documentation to keep
• Compliance dos & don’ts

6. Written Advisory to Enforcement Teams

Clear instruction should be issued that traders with proper purchase invoices and declarations must not be harassed.

Conclusion

Traders are partners in nation-building—not offenders.

We fully support quality regulation, but implementation must be systematic, fair, and factory-focused. Penalising dealers while thousands of unlicensed units continue production is neither logical nor sustainable.

ABPLTA requests all concerned authorities and industry bodies to urgently intervene and create a balanced enforcement framework that protects honest traders while strengthening manufacturing compliance.