Fuel wood prices are extremely high in the northern region, especially in Haryana and Punjab. The situation is so aggravated that it has put the industry at operational bottlenecks because the availability as well as its cost viability is not there to go ahead for many producers. Fuel prices are reported to nearly double what they were last year in the region, despite the fact that its availability is not in a proper manner.
Plywood manufacturers are in trouble in terms of timber procurement, both for firewood for their energy needs and as a raw material for core veneer. The producers based in Punjab said to The Ply Reporter that somehow the timber for core veneer is available at a higher cost but fire wood is not available. The market price is not affordable in any way
A similar situation is in the plywood hub of the north at Yamunanagar also. The plywood manufacturers say that the firewood kind to timber, which is used as fuel in plywood manufacturing units, is also used in making MDF and particle board. Due to its consumption as a raw material for MDF and particle board has increased these days, there is a scarcity of fuel wood for plywood units.
The industry stakeholders say that there are alternatives like coal and briquettes. But, that is also very costly. So, with the shortage of fuel timber and its viability factor, the industry is hardly able to run three to four days in a week. Timber traders say that every year the arrival of timber in the rainy season is reduced due to less felling of timber, although this year the arrival has been affected more than before because there is huge scarcity of timber.