Created thousands of jobs, saved rural families
Fast-growing, short-duration crops and responsible agriculture will boost rural economic growth, achieve the nation’s sustainability goals and improve productivity.
BENGALURU/VISAKHAPATNAM, Rushil Decor (BSE: 533470, NSE: RUSHIL), a global leader in smart living solutions and transformator in the contemporary residential and commercial sector, today announced that it has planted 12 crore agroforestry trees in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh over the past four years. Rushil plants 120 million agroforestry trees.
and is committed to strengthening its agroforestry programs by integrating crops and livestock to increase productivity, employment, income and livelihoods of rural households. This has benefited the marginal farmers. Besides, the company is employing 20,000 skilled and unskilled people, including farmers, farm laborers and harvesting labourers.
Afforestation includes more than five crore trees in Chikmagalur, Hassan and Shimoga districts of Karnataka and seven crore trees in Visakhapatnam, East Godavari and Vizianagaram districts of Andhra Pradesh. Fast growing and short duration crops Eucalyptus (Nilgiri), Casuarina, Silver Oak and Acacia are used as raw material in industry.
Which gives direct income to farmers, agricultural laborers and women laborers than plantations. Rushil’s modern Future Boards (MDF) plants in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh procure agroforestry wood, which generates millions of man-days of employment annually and sustains the rural economy thanks to three rotation cycles in 10-year renewable resources.
Rushil Decor’s team provides modern technology for agroforestry by engaging rural farmers to ensure uninterrupted supply of raw materials, seeds and seedlings of various agroforestry varieties through nurseries, necessary subsidies and support for movement of goods. Apart from this, training and guidance are also provided at the factory and district centres, material distribution, price updates for harvesting and sales assistance are also provided.
Rushil Décor’s modern facilities also support local ancillary industries like furniture, panels, transport and local artisans, resulting in significant employment opportunities. The company’s plants are strategically located close to agroforestry trees providing raw materials, thereby ensuring sustainable livelihoods.
Reduced transportation due to smart manufacturing and automated robotic production also reduces pollution. Rushil Decor has partnered with Indian Plywood Industries Research and Training Institute (IPIRTI), Institute of Wood Science and Technology (IWST) and Association of Indian Panelboard Manufacturers (AIPM) to expand their capabilities in agroforestry and strategically source raw materials from farmers. Which creates a mutually beneficial relationship.
Agroforestry is a type of ‘land use system’ in which trees and shrubs are integrated on agricultural land and village land. This increases productivity, profitability, versatility and environmental sustainability. It is a dynamic, ecologically based natural resource management system that integrates wild perennial crops into farm and arable land to diversify and sustain production and build social institutions.
Rushil K Thakkar, Director, Rushil Decor Limited (India) said, “Trees are our best investment against the climate change crisis. As a responsible organization we at Rushil Decor are committed to promote agroforestry to reduce carbon emissions and increase the scope of social, economic and environmental sustainability of rural development.
Good use of trees in agricultural land systems can also contribute significantly to the maintenance of biodiversity. Agroforestry helps diversify and sustain food production and provides important social, economic and environmental benefits at scale-shaping greener plants, which bode well for the future.”
Rushil’s agroforestry-based plants are beneficial to marginal and small farmers with less than five acres of land. The initiative has been launched with the aim of providing economic momentum, sustainable livelihood and employment opportunities to skilled and unskilled people in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Rushil’s tie-ups with local organizations like Krishi Bazar Samiti and Karnataka Forest Development Corporation (KFDC) enable them to purchase agroforestry timber grown locally by farmers.
Demand for firewood due to improvement in living standards has fueled agro-farming, realizing the industry’s vision of ‘farm to furniture’. Trees are the future for sustainable agriculture and the world must adopt innovative options to increase agroforestry productivity to mitigate the impact of climate change that will build sustainable ecosystems.
According to industry estimates, strengthening agroforestry at the national level will significantly benefit the economy and the composite panel industry can create employment opportunities for around 20 to 25 lakh people. The entire value chain of 11-11.5 crore CBM timber (timber to furniture) can create value-added products worth $15 billion. An important benefit is carbon reduction. An increase in forest area and even smaller trees has the potential to reduce two billion metric tons of carbon by 2050.
The consumption of MDF in India is increasing due to the increasing awareness among consumers and various uses. This industry in 2021 is estimated to be Rs. 3,000 crore to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15 to 20 percent by 2026 to Rs. 6,000 crore is estimated. India is a leader in the MDF sector and is used extensively as an interior infrastructure material. Special customers looking to buy responsible products that reduce carbon emissions and modern offices, rapid urbanisation, boom in real estate sector and increase in ‘nuclear family’ etc. will drive growth in MDF market. MDF has a market share of 70 percent in developed countries but in India it is only 30 percent, so there is a huge opportunity for MDF market to grow.
MDF is an engineered product made from wood fibers pressed under high pressure using thermostating resins and waxes. Its beautiful panels are formed by extreme temperature and pressure for strength. Some qualities of MDF make it ideal as an alternative to wood, plywood and particle board.
