We are confident of the potential of building with wood in India.

- Pranesh Chhibber

Country Director, Canadian Wood

What are the prevailing key trends in India's softwood market?

India's forests are protected for all the right reasons and also know that it is a wood fibre deficit nation. Thus, India has to depend on imported wood to meet its needs. The procurement of traditional hardwoods is getting increasingly difficult and expensive. The wood industry thus began looking for alternate sources of supply and found them in the softwood producing geographies. These are available in abundance from the sustainably managed forests in the western world. The import of softwood species has grown by leaps and bounds over the last decade. Today, it stands at roughly 52% of the total wood imported and growing. The wood working industry finds it easy to work with, which helps productivity. The coastal species of softwood from B.C. Canada even compete with hardwoods in the furniture and other reman applications.

What are the advantages and benefits of using wood in construction projects?

Amongst many benefits of wood in construction, the key advantages are the positive impact on the overall health of humans by creating a happier and healthier environment for the occupants. The wooden structures create a positive impact on the environment in three key areas of Sustainable resource use; Low carbon footprint and Reconnecting humans with nature. The wooden houses are designed to provide all the safety and luxuries of regular home in a serene environment. Building with wood is also much quicker than concrete and has a far less impact on the environment. Wooden homes can be pre-fabricated in the factory and erected at site within a short time. We are confident of the potential of building with wood in India and the ability of its skilled workforce to quickly learn and adapt to 'building with wood' techniques. As the local skill sets and infrastructure develops, we will see many more such projects coming up across India and will happily look back to have been a part of such an initiative. If we consider the actual cost of main ingredients of concrete construction, i.e. water, sand and gravel, it would turn out to be much more expensive than it is.

What is your outlook for India's softwood market in 2022?

As already mentioned above, 52% of the total wood imported into India is softwood by volume and we expect it to continue to grow as it will find more and more uses in many more applications than currently. Softwood from Canada is much more than just Spruce, Pine or Fir, in fact coastal softwood species from B.C. Canada compete with many hardwoods in India in different applications. As the awareness and skill sets in working with softwood grow, one can expect a highly increased volume off-take in future, especially building with wood taking off. 

What is the business outlook for Canadian Wood in the coming years?

FII (Canadian Wood) is a not-for-profit agency of the provincial government of British Columbia, the western-most province of Canada, engaged in promotion of its softwood species in the off-shore markets. We don't buy or sell any products or services or engage in any other commercial activity. We spread awareness amongst the target audience and educate them about the Canadian Wood species including their properties and applications through, seminar/webinars, training workshops, product trials, technical assistance and connecting buyers and suppliers. We are confident that our efforts will go a long way in paving the way for Canadian lumber industry in the Indian market. From that angle, the business outlook is very promising and positive.

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