By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 20 May: Forest Research Institute organised a ‘Research Outreach Programme for Wood Based Industry of Uttar Pradesh’ in collaboration with Indian Industries Association (IIA), today. The programme was chaired by Director, FRI, Dr Renu Singh, and Ashok Kumar Agarwal, President, IIA. It was attended by a seven member delegation of IIA and ten member delegation of Wood Technologists’ Association (WTA), Yamuna Nagar, led by Subhash Jolly, Rajeev Agrawal, Plywood manufacturer from Yamuna Nagar, Suresh Baheti, Chief Editor, Ply Insight magazine, media and scientists and officials of FRI. The programme mainly emphasised the issues and problems being faced by the wood industries and farmers and how research activities and expertise of FRI could help in achieving timber production and utilisation goals of industry.
Dr Renu Singh, in her opening remarks, underlined that industry-farmers-researchers are the three important pillars in growth of the wood based industry. She also emphasised on developing a roadmap so that issues can be addressed and solved efficiently by each pillar. She added that limited funding and lack of experimental areas are main bottlenecks of progress in forestry research and industries can help in mitigating both.
Ashok Kumar Agarwal appreciated that the research work of FRI was helping both industries and farmers. He sought collaboration with scientists and opening of help centres through the Indian Industries Association that could disseminate the knowledge and address issues of industries and farmers. These could act as a link between wood and wood based industries, growers as well as researchers.
Wood industrialists Anuj Garg, Chairman, IIA Muzaffarnagar, and Pramod Sadana, Chairman, IIA Saharanpur, requested the help of FRI in small timber product and handicraft industries which have an export market of Rs 100 billion. FRI scientists Dr Ashok Kumar, Dr Ajay Thakur and Dr Dinesh Kumar showed the highly productive new varieties of Melia, Corymbia and poplars to the delegates. Subhash Jolly emphasised on policy interventions and advised the industry to reap maximum benefits from expertise available at FRI. The importance of sustainable supply and use of wood was stressed by, both, industry delegates and researchers present.
In the afternoon session, delegates were shown timber seasoning, preservation and composite production facilities at Forest Products Division and experimental areas and nursery of high yielding genetically improved plants of different trees at Genetics & Tree Improvement Divisions of FRI.
