Dehradun: Forest Research Institute Dehradun organized a ‘Research Outreach Program for Wood Based Industry of Uttar Pradesh’ in collaboration with Indian Industries Association (IIA) on 20 th May, 2022. Programme was chaired by Director FRI Dr Renu Singh, IFS and Sh. Ashok Kumar Agarwal, President IIA and attended by seven member delegation of IIA and ten member delegation of Wood Technologist Association (WTA), Yamuna Nagar led by Sri. Subhash Jolly, Sh. Rajeev Agrawal, Plywood manufacturer from Yamuna
Nagar, Sh. Suresh Baheti, chief editor, Ply Insight magazine, media and scientists and officials of FRI.
The program mainly emphasized on the issues and problems being faced by the wood industries and farmers and how research activities and expertise of FRI can help in achieving timber production and utilization goals of industry. Dr Renu Singh, IFS and Director of FRI in her opening remarks underlined that industry- farmers-researchers are the three important pillars in growth of wood based industry.
She also emphasized on developing a roadmap so that issues can be addressed and solved efficiently by each pillars. She further added that limited funding and lack of experimental areas are main bottleneck of progress in forestry research and industries can help in mitigating both. Sh. Ashok Kumar Agarwal, President IIA, appreciated that the research work of FRI is helping both industries and farmers. He wished to collaborate with scientists and start a help centers through Indian Industries Association that could disseminate the knowledge and address different issues of industries and farmers.
This help centre could act as a link between wood and wood based industries, growers as well as researchers. Wood industrialists; Sh. Anuj Garg, Chairman IIA Muzaffarnagar and Sh. Pramod Sadana, Chairman IIA Saharanpur requested help of FRI in small timber product and handicraft industries which has export market of 100 billion rupees. 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. Sh. Subhash Jolly emphasized on policy interventions and advised the industry to reap maximum benefits from expertise available at FRI.
The importance of sustainable supply and usage of wood was stressed both industry delegates and researcher present during the program. In 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. Chairman of Indian Industries Association Sh. Ashok Agrawal ji promised that their organization will collaborate with FRI to extend its research to industries, traders and farmers and thanked Dr. Renu Singh, Director FRI for this research outreach
programme.
