Furniture Industry Wants National Plantation Strategy for Raw Material

The domestic furniture industry is facing challenges related to the availability of raw material, which can be addressed by a national plantation strategy, as the raw materials have become much more expensive than China. The country needs local forestry which needs to be certified, industry leaders said. Besides, there are issues related to availability of skilled workers, import of finished products under free trade agreements and supply chain problems. Fabindia Chairman William Bissell said a national plantation strategy can ensure uninterrupted supply of certified woods. Well-managed plantation will benefit both businesses and farmers. Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Joint Secretary Anil Agarwal said the government has identified four places to set up furniture clusters. It would be similar to what was done for the leather industry. He also assured the industry that the government will look into issues raised by it, including standardisation of woods and import of finished goods under free trade agreements. Government is open to putting them under non-tariff measures in compliance under the WTO regulatory framework.