TAMING THE TEAK

Tissue-cultured teak has potential to boost India's timber cultivation and trade, but requires identifying best farm practices

- SB CHAVAN, AR UTHAPPA AND KEERTHIKA A

LOOK FOR strong, durable wood, and teak tops the list. Often called the “king” of timbers, teak (Tectona grandis) is one of the world’s most valuable tropical hardwoods, with applications ranging from shipbuilding to construction to high-end furniture.

Asia holds over 95 per cent of the world’s teak resources, with India alone managing 35 per cent of planted teak forests. As per the “Global Teak Resources and Market Assessment 2022”, published by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra have the largest area of natural native teak forests, with average mean annual increment (MAI, the average annual growth of a tree or stand of trees) in most regions below 12 cubic metres per hectare per year (m³/ha/year). In favourable growing conditions, MAI of 10-12 m³/ha/year is ideal. But since green felling of timber from government-owned forests is prohibited under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, and National Forest Policy, 1988, private plantations are relied upon to meet the growing domestic and international demand for this prized timber. However, poor productivity of planted teak cripples this prized agroforestry sector.