Export of quality plywood benefits Nepalese businessmen, increasing demand in India.
What you should know
More than 1 billion worth of plywood has been exported to India through the Krishnanagar port. Prepared cement worth more than 75 crores was also exported to India through this channel in the last financial year. The export of plywood, false rosin and turpentine oil has also increased through Krishnanagar, which is one of the 10 major customs points of the country.
In the last year 081/82, 16 lakh 94 thousand cubic meters of plywood valued at 1 billion 1487 thousand were exported to India. Similarly, in the previous fiscal year 080/81, 15 lakh 86 cubic meters of plywood worth 1.48 billion 45 lakhs were exported to India, said Customs Officer Lekhnath Bhattarai, Information Officer of Krishnanagar Customs Office.
Although the export volume has increased in the last year compared to the previous year, the price has decreased slightly. Plywood with phytosanitary certificate is exported to India and is free from diseases and pests. In order to export to India, BSI (British Standard Institution) issued by the Ministry of Industry of the Government of India must be obtained. Since there is no BSI with the plywood industry here, another Ganapati in the district is exporting plywood through the BSI with the Rosin and Turpentine industry.
Plywood and veneer seats are both raw materials . After gluing this thin wooden object with the help of technology, it becomes plywood . Businessmen say that the quality of ply produced in Nepal is increasing in India.
Similarly, in the last year, Samrat Cement and Ghorahi Cement Industry in Dang exported 377 tons of cement worth 751 million to India. In the previous year, they exported 596 tons of cement worth 30 million 38 million . Last year, the cement of Samrat Cement Udyog in Dang is being bought by India's big Adani Group.
The price of cement in India is 450 Indian rupees per bag. If it is taken from Nepal, it costs 80 to 100 rupees less per bag. Cement also requires BSI . Customs officer Lekhnath Bhattarai said that the Nepalese truck from the industry brought it to the border customs post and then turned it over to the Indian truck at the customs yard and took it to India. He said that the country is also earning foreign currency from cement.
Similarly, 1,557 tons of fake rosewood worth 225.4 million rupees were exported to India last year. In the previous year, 1,337 tons of rosin worth 172,500,000 were exported to India. These three items are the main materials exported from Krishnanagar.
Plywood prepared from wood veneer is especially used to make furniture, room partitions, decorative materials and windows. It is produced from the soft and fast-growing species of Kukath, Uttis, Kadam, Mango etc. . The plywood produced here is widely consumed in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Jaipur, Bangalore and Uttar Pradesh. There are 7/8 ply industries in Chandrauta-Krishnanagar road section of the district.
"The export of veneer/plywood is increasing," said Phanindra Khatiwada, the chief customs officer of Krishnanagar Customs Office, "The increase in the export of plywood has also helped the development of the Nepalese economy." In the past two years, more than one billion worth of plywood has been exported annually.
Plywood was once imported from India. However, after a decade of Nepali businessmen established industries in the country, the importation from India stopped and the exports to India started, said Ruk Bahadur Bhusal, President of the Federation of Forest Products Businessmen. "The demand for wood-based products was increasing in India," said Bhusal, "now plywood is earning foreign exchange."
Similarly, last year, 25,090 tons of cement-making raw material clinker worth 139.8 million and 274 thousand liters of turpentine oil worth 52.23 million were exported. 2,600 liters of herbal oil worth 38.7 crores and 16,675 wooden windows and doors worth 2.12 crores have been exported. 1 lakh 15 thousand kg of herbs worth 84 lakhs were exported to India last year.
In the last two years, malt (fermented barley), the raw material for making beer worth 1 billion 976 million 6322 thousand has been imported. Similarly, 1 billion 87 crore 4 lakh 88 thousand beer glass bottles have been imported in two years.
Every year, the import of barley for beer is increasing and it is imported through the Krishnanagar pass and it is the fourth number in terms of revenue collection, according to Bhattarai, Information Officer of the Krishnanagar Customs Office. Similarly, he said that bottles are the fifth highest revenue-generating commodity. He said that it is becoming a good trade of import and export.
Ritesh Sharma, President of Krishnanagar Industry and Commerce Association, said that there is no rush at the customs office like elsewhere and there is no need to wait for a long time and there is an easy road network to travel to different parts of India.
Krishnanagar is connected to India's national rail network . Similarly, there are daily buses, jeeps and vans plying from here to the major cities of India. This point is also a center of good transport connection between Central Nepal and India.
