Reaping green profits
INDIAN corporate giants are slowly waking up to address the environmental needs of the country. in a significant move, big business houses are venturing into the agricultural sector and planting trees on a largescale for commercial use which would save the country from an ecological disaster and minimise the import of industrial wood. India's total production of industrial wood stands at 12 million cu m, whereas the demand for the wood stands at 20 million cu In which makes the country dependent on imports. To bridge this gap between demand and supply, companies like Madras-based Sterling Magnum Tree and Maxworth Greenharvest, are investing large sums, state-of-the-art technology and inputs in the agricultural arena to tap the barren, virgin and cultivable land to produce highly profitable crops. Teak, especially, is the choice of the planters. It grows predominantly in tropical and sub-tropical regions. India is the only known place where teak of genetic diversity grows over 8.9 million ha in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Orissa.