World Teak Conference: Experts call for scientific methods and global collaboration for trade
The 3-day conference will feature sessions on economic assessments, value addition, market development, and building legal and sustainable supply chains for teak
| Photo Credit:
istock
The World Teak Conference, hosted by India for the first time, has commenced here on Wednesday with experts calling for scientific methods and global collaboration for trade opportunities. Delegates from over 40 countries are participating in the event, which focuses on the challenges and opportunities in teak production and trade.
Kerala’s Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Rajesh Ravindran highlighted key challenges faced by the sector, including climate change, shortage of quality planting materials, unscientific afforestation programmes, wildlife interference, and barriers to accessing capital and markets. These challenges can be transformed into opportunities through the adoption of scientific methods, proper training, and international cooperation, he said.
KB Singh, Inspector General of Forests, SU Division, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, stressed the importance of sharing both successes and failures from teak cultivation experiments across India to avoid repeating past mistakes. The recent initiatives in forest management have led the Ministry to revise the working plan code to incorporate modern concepts and digital aspects. A digitised national forest inventory has been created for better data utilisation in planning.
He added that the MoEF introduced a national transit permit system to ease timber movement, and a forest and tree certification scheme has also been introduced.
Called for discussions
Sheam Satkuru, Executive Director of the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), called for wide-ranging discussions on teak production, marketing, and the livelihoods of those dependent on the sector.
The 3-day conference will feature sessions on economic assessments, value addition, market development and building legal and sustainable supply chains for teak.
Published on September 17, 2025
