活动名称：木艺木趣国际研讨会暨展览会
时间地点：2011年10月21日，印度班加罗尔J N Tata多功能礼堂
演讲嘉宾：K Jayaraman
演讲题目：TEAKNET – International R & D network on teak

摘要：TEAKNET established in 1995 is an international network of institutions and individuals interested in teak. Its members are mostly growers, traders and researchers apart from policy makers and others who have a profound interest in teak. TEAKNET was established to address the issues of the global teak sector. The goal of TEAKNET is to transform the global teak sector from its current suboptimal state to that of a dynamic entity for the benefit of all stakeholders of the sector. Its mode of operation is through collective discussions and persistent follow up actions. Issues are identified through periodical workshops and meetings of the stakeholders. The most basic activity of TEAKNET is information exchange which is achieved through its website www.teaknet.org and the TEAKNET Bulletin. The members have certain additional privileges with respect to access to information supplied by the organization. The activities of TEAKNET which were so far confined to Asia-Pacific are being extended to Latin America and Africa. Apart from the networking, TEAKNET also undertakes much promotional activities on teak and its products.

By linking the various institutions across the world, the network really acts like a virtual research and development organization for the species. Teak is one of the best high quality timber species of the world. Teak is successfully grown in many tropical countries. The species holds high promise for meeting the hardwood requirement of the globe which is expected to be on the rise. Its cultivation needs to be extended to more regions, productivity levels need to be enhanced through the use of improved planting material and better cultural practices in order to meet the growing hardwood crisis. Unlike many food crops, demand for teak is highly elastic and thus depends highly on efficient marketing mechanisms. But for that, the many features that make teak attractive are the hardy and adaptive nature of the species, high level of returns and the superior quality of wood.

The presentation makes a broad sketch of the current activities of TEAKNET and provides a futuristic outlay for its functioning. The perspectives are built taking into consideration the global situation with respect to forestry in general and the hardwood sector in particular.

K Jayaraman, Kerala Forest Research Institute, PeechiThrissur Kerala 680653 INDIA.