Recent Developments In Southern India’S Teak Industry: Perspectives For Privately Owned Plantations[Filière et développement du teck en Inde du sud: quel avenir pour les plantations privées ?]

In the 19th century, India was the world's leading teak producer. Under the British colonial government, large quantities of teak were exported to Europe, mainly for shipbuilding and luxury furnishings. After independence in 1947, forest resources became increasingly threatened, until India's central government decided to ban teak logging altogether in 1980. India's timber production thus dropped sharply and was replaced by mass imports. Today, the teak industry is highly dependent on imports from Myanmar and West Africa. In parallel, since the early 1990s, teak plantations have been developing under private ownership. The first planters were major financial companies, with individuals– from the agricultural community or not– following in their wake. In Southern India (Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu), this has caused considerable in rural landscapes, and plantations are often found in the middle of arable lands. This article explains how Southern India's teak industry is organised today, describes and analyses motivations among private plantation owners and discusses the future of the sector, with particular emphasis on the future of peasant forestry