Kerala should promote tree plantation to tap the rising market demand for timber products, said experts at a seminar organised here on Saturday as part of the Plantation Expo at the Kanakakunnu Palace grounds.
“Tree planters should closely monitor the market demand to make the best use of Kerala’s tree plantation options like timber, fuel wood, and high-value timber. With the use of precise technology, high-quality Marayoor sandalwood which has high demand in the world market, can be harvested in 15 years”, Dr A. Balasubramanian, Professor, Department of silviculture, Forest College and Research Institute, Mettupalayam, said.
Also, the timely use of technology will aid in resolving threats faced by the plantation sector, including climatic factors, thereby enabling planters to tap the market potential, he said.
Ajay Kakra, Managing Partner, JU Agri Innovation Ventures, Delhi, noted that challenges like severe unseasonal rains, floods, and landslides often affect yield while other factors push up the input costs for farmers. Highlighting the role of technology in the plantation sector, he said, soil testing, drone spraying system, precision farming, using best quality seeds and seedlings, and practicing sustainable agricultural practices would help resolve major challenges.
Stressing the scope of deploying technology in bringing out value-added products from planation crop residues, Dr P. Subramanian, Professor, and Head, Department of Renewable Energy Engineering, Agricultural Engineering College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, said, biomass or plantation waste could be utilised for producing biochar/hydrochar for wastewater treatment.
Pointing out that short intense bursts of rainfall, a trend seen over the last 10 years, had proved to detrimental to long term crop management, Ambili G.K., Senior Scientist, Centre for Water Resources Development and Management, Kozhikode, said the plantation sector was forced to depend on modern irrigation methods for survival.
