Coimbatore: Those with ideas to turn forest products into value-added, commercially-viable products, have just got an avenue to experiment, test and develop them with technological expertise.
For the first time in the country, a forest business incubator (FBI) will be established by the Forest College and Research Institute (FCRI) in Mettupalayam, to promote commercialisation of forestry products by incorporating technology. In addition to research facilities and technical assistance, FCRI will also offer financial and marketing links for commercial utilisation of the incubated products.
The institute has got nod from the Entrepreneurship Development and Innovation Institute (EDII) of the state government. A sum of Rs 65 lakh has been sanctioned to establish the incubation centre and about 5,000 square feet earmarked for the purpose. EDII has also agreed to provide Rs 2.5 crore for three years for developing the infrastructure for the incubator post, which FCRI has to self-sustain.
The forest business incubator will be on the lines of the agri business incubator in the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU). “We have been working for the past six months to establish the incubator. It will start functioning in two months,” FCRI dean Deepak Srivastava said.
The incubator will have state-of-the-art central cloning facilities, wood seasoning facilities and oil extracting equipment. Anyone with an idea that is related to forest technology could use the facilities to work on their project. The project would be vetted by experts before application on the field.
“Like agriculture, there is a lot of scope for commercialisation of forest technologies. Forest wealth can be put to better use without affecting nature using technology,” Deepak said.
For instance, FCRI has developed a clone tree that provides both paper pulp and plywood in a shorter period than the conventional variety. “Farmers don’t opt for tree crops as the rotational period is longer than food crops. We have been working on varieties with shorter rotation period. These trees would interest farmers for largescale cultivation,” he said.
As the medical properties of many trees still remain unknown, the institute has, also, been planning to use the indigenous knowledge of the tribes in coming out with medical plants with anti-bacterial and anti-oxidant properties, Deepak said, pinpointing to Michelia mniligiraca that has anti-cancerous properties.
To start with, the institute is planning to assist about six to eight incubates that includes two tribals and work on species like Anphocephalus cadamba and acrocarpus species to produce pulpwood in short rotation period. Deepak said that the institute was open to idea related to forest technology including producing edible dyes and briquettes that were equivalent to coal, but less polluting.
