The report received from port cities like Chennai, Mumbai, Visakhapatnam, etc says that the imports of MDF from Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam have started to arrive at market. The Ply Reporter's findings indicate that High Density High Moisture Resistance Grade MDF is coming up in high quantities. The competition between imported goods and domestically available materials in the valueadded MDF category appears to be rising in some of the markets.
A kitchen maker based in Chennai says that they have used High Density High Moisture grade imported MDF that is available at a reasonable price compared to the India manufactured products in this category. Although the market report indicates that the price of both the materials in the high density category of MDF is equal for the consumers, in some places, the material is available cheaper with schemes or other sales riders. But it is certain that with the arrival of the material, the penetration of imported goods will increase.
The report also says that the market share of imported MDF in the country during the COVID period was almost zero that has increased by approx 4% now. For the domestic industry, the price of timber has increased, but there is no rise in the price of MDF due to the arrival of imports and competition posed by them. It has somehow slowed down the lifting in the market. If the domestic manufacturers are willing to restrict the imports of MDF, they have to think about price control. This is why major MDF players are focusing on plantations.
Although, importers say that with high dollar prices, the imported MDF may face challenges with domestic but in value-added and thin MDF categories, they hope to sustain in the market.