TYPES OF AVAILABLE TEAK WOOD AND PRICE RANGE IN INDIAN TIMBER MARKET

                                     

Nilambur (Malabar) teak

• Grows fast, yields larger log dimensions
• Straight grain with golden yellowish brown colour, often with darker steaks
• Reputed in the trade for ship building and furniture/cabinets

West African teak

• Wood with black streaks and wavy or twisted grain
• Wood figure is mostly inferior to that of Asian teak


South and Central American teak

• Wood lighter in colour
• Fetches lower price due to small dimen-
sional log and less heartwood
Did you know ?
A variety of teak timbers is noted in Indian market depending on the source of supply as originated from various geographic locations or countries. The recent timber survey re- corded the following types timbers mainly due to variations in log size wood colour/grain and growth rate/rotation age. The price trends of teak timber showed continued increase in India over the decades of later half of 20th century and the forecasts for the year 2015 indicate a range of Indian Rupees of 71,000- 90,000 (US $ 1480-1850) per Cu.m depend- ing on the girth class (Krishnankutty 2001).

The present market price range for round wood (Cu.m) in Indian Rupees and US $ is shown below:

Home garden teak: 26842-38841 (US$ 597- 863)
Myanmar (Burma teak): 44138-51200 (US$ 980-1138)
Columbian teak: 21186-24717 (US$ 470-549) Ghana teak: 21186-28248 (US$ 470-628) Brazilian teak:
Benin teak-Log:
Togo teak- Log:
Costa Rican teak (class II/III pole size logs) Equador teak (class II/III pole sized logs) Teak, Ivory Coast:
                                             

Types Teakwood

Adilabad teak

• Grows in Rajulmaddugu locality of An-
dhraPradesh
• Rose coloured heartwood, attractive surface,fetches high price
Central province teak (CPT)
• Slow grown wood with close grain from drier areas of central India
• Deeper colour, twisted or wavy grain give betterappearance and fetches higher price

Dandeli (North Kanara) teak

• Slow grown, close grained
• Darker in 
                      
Godhavari teak

Home garden/farm grown teak
• Home garden teak has more defects like bends andknots lowering timber value.
• Wood from dry sites has darker golden
brown colour with black streaks, making it more attractive in appearance.
• Wood from wet sites has paler colour affecting adversely the price of the tim- ber.
• Wood from homesteads of wet sites is • more susceptible to brown rot fungi al- though no significant differences exists with respect to white rot fungi among the home garden and plantation grown tim- bers.
In South America, FOB price range is USD130-USD230 as against USD200- USD300 in West Africa and US 140-240 in Asia (India) depending on quality (colour, grain, etc), diameter and length.
• Higher natural durability of teak wood from drier locality h is reflected in higher extractive contents with darker colour t


Konni teak

• Slow grown wood with close grain and darker colour
• Stronger than Nilambur teak
Myanmar (Burma) teak
• Slow grown wood from mostly from natu- ral growth
• Close grain with darker colour
• Fetches high price in international trade
• With an investment of US $10,000 per hectare, teak plantation can give an aver- age return of about US Dollars 320,000 in 25 years from the sale of roundwood at stump/plantation site – This means 32 times returns in 25 years, equivalent to doubling investment in every 5 years ( Centeno 1996).
• The central part of India (with Site Quality II), the best Internal Rate of Returns (IRRs) can be expected from 25-year rotations although for higher Net Present Value(NPV) the rotations need to be longer (Rawat and Negi 1980).
Even with very low input management, teak plantations are profitable if planted in suitable sites (Chundamannil 1998).

How to Make $60,000 a Year With a Bamboo Nursery

                                      

Bamboo is one of the most widely-used landscaping plants, which means there is a high demand for good, healthy bamboo plants. You can take advantage of this demand by growing bamboo for profit. Here’s how you can make $60,000 a year growing bamboo:

                                  

It’s important to know that growing bamboo is not a get-rich-quick scheme. You certainly won’t make $60,000 overnight. But with some smart choices and hard work, you really can make a nice income. As with any business, it’s recommended you start small. Don’t try to grow too many varieties of bamboo at first, and let your business grow naturally. Soon you could be making $60,000 a year.

So let’s do the math. Container-grown bamboo, on average, sells for $25 each. In a quarter acre, you can fit 2400 plants. Selling 2400 plants priced at $25 a piece will get you $60,000.

When you’re ready to begin, the first thing you need to consider is your climate and environment. If winter temperatures frequently drop below zero F. then you should consider growing something other than bamboo. If winter temperatures consistently stay above zero F. you should be able to grow healthy bamboo plants. To protect your plants from winter temperatures and winds, consider planting them on a slightly-sloping hill that faces south, or in a sheltered area.

Now you need to think about your soil. Is it healthy enough to grow bamboo plants? By growing your bamboo plants in containers, you can mix a custom soil blend that will be just right for bamboo. Also, be sure you have plenty of room for your plants. Remember, a quarter acre can make you about $60,000 a year, growing in 3 to 5 gallon pots.

So what should you grow? Simply put, you need to grow what sells. For a business to be successful, they need to offer a product that people want to buy. It’s no different for a bamboo business. Visit your local garden center and find out what the top sellers are. Ask landscapers just what they frequently buy and use. If you can provide high quality bamboo plants at a fair price, then you’ll sell a lot of plants.

Once your plants are potted, be sure to give them the care and attention they need. Most bamboo varieties need a lot of sunlight, so be sure to plant them in an area that can provide just that. Also, only use organic fertilizers. You want the bamboo plants to grow up big and healthy.

How to Increase Bamboo wood's Durability

Without any protective treatment, most bamboo species have an average natural durability of less than 2 years. Stored under cover, untreated bamboo may last 4-7 years.

The lower portion of the bamboo culm is considered more durable, while the soft inner part of the wall deteriorates faster than the outer harder portion. This is related to the anatomical and chemical nature of the woody cells. Although some of the characteristics of bamboo resemble those of wood, its growth characteristics and microstructure is different. Unlike timber varieties like teak, the structure of bamboo is void of toxic deposits.


The large amounts of starch present in bamboo makes it highly attractive to mold and fungi, termites and powder-post beetles. They cause much damage during drying, storage, and subsequent use. Tests have also shown that bamboo is more prone to soft rot and white rot attack than to brown rot.


Bamboo consists of 50-70% hemicellulose, 30% pentosans, and 20-25% lignin. The lignin present in bamboos is unique, and undergoes changes during the growth of the culm. Bamboo is also known to be rich in silica (0.5 to 4%), but the entire silica is located in the outer layer (1 mm), with hardly any silica in the rest of the wall. Bamboos also have minor amounts of waxes, resins and tannins, but none of these have enough toxicity to improve its natural durability.


The Importance Bamboo Preservation

Many developing counties (where most bamboos grow) suffer a lack of awareness and professional treatment facilities. Furthermore, not all curing methods ensure satisfying results which leads to uncertainties about the advantages of using bamboo all together.


A lot of bamboos used for structural purposes in rural housing are untreated (or the wrong species) and deteriorate in just a couple of years, hence the reason bamboo is still considered as a poor man's timber.


Not only does the incorrect use affect the reputation of bamboo, it also puts heavy pressure on the resource, since frequent replacement is necessary.

Chemical preservatives should be used to protect bamboo products from such degradation. These are well established methods providing good protection even in adverse conditions.

The selection of the appropriate treatment method depends on various factors:

•  State of the bamboo; green or dry.
• Form of the bamboo: round bamboo or splits.
• End applications; in ground contact, exposed to atmosphere, undercover, structural/non-structural.
• Scale; quantity to be treated and available time.
• Potential causes of decay; biotic (fungus/insects) and abiotic (cracks/weathering).

We think it is important to promote the correct use of bamboo in order to increase the durability, utilization, and popularity of this versatile and environmentally friendly material. Increasing the shelve-life of bamboo to 50 years or more is certainly possible by applying the appropriate treatments which is also more economical and sustainable in the long run.