Rubberwood stock dries up as rains thwart felling of trees, price shoots up

Kottayam: The price of rubberwood has gone up from Rs 6,000 a tonne to Rs 7,500 per tonne as availability has dipped following incessant rains in Kerala.

The selection-grade category wood with a diameter of 25 inch is priced up to Rs 7,500 per tonne. Rubber trees are cut and turned into timber mainly in the months of August and September.

Perumbavoor is the main centre of rubberwood trade in the state.

Following heavy rains the felling of old rubber trees in high ranges of Kerala were hampered. Moreover, trucks could not reach the rubberwood yards as several roads were damaged.

Shaji Raphael, zonal secretary of Saw Mill Owners Association, said that on an average 400 loads of rubberwood used to reach Perumbavoor daily. "The availablity of rubberwood has gone down since the past two months. Only 100 loads of rubberwood is available now," he added.

Rubber farmers get additional income, apart from regular sale of latex or rubber sheets, through the sale of its wood ahead of replanting after axing old ones.

The rubber trees on plantations are usually cut after trees become 25 to 30 years old. The bulk of rubberwood arrives from Pala, Kanjirapally, Adoor, Pathanamthitta, Pathanapuram and Nilambur regions.

Rubberwood is mainly used for making plywood and packing cases.