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Pricing of Teak


Prior to harvesting, it will be necessary to decide whether to sell the raw material in log form to local and export markets, or to process it for added value in a sawmill For the moment, processing capacities seem to be higher than raw material supply potential.

During the plantation establishment period, and before thinning is begun on a larger scale, the economic value of plantations can only be evaluated by estimating the accrued commercial value of trees in the growing process.

Our MAI is estimated at a conservative 12 m3 per hectare based on experiences at other places and in Costa Rica. On some sites an annual growth rate of 20 m3 per hectare or higher has been observed (Camacho, 1998; de Camino, Alfaro and Sage, 1998; Herrera, 1998).

Prices of teak very considerably depending on wood quality and weather you are dealing with plantation grown wood or old growth teak which is very expensive at this point. Our estimates are based on actual market prices of plantation teak(US$350 to $650 per cubic meter free on board [FOB] depending on diameter and wood quality)and are based on recent regional experiences,

Yearly average price of teak logs for girth class of 120 to 150 cm in India (Old growth teak).

YearPrice per m3 (Rs)Rs to US$ Ex RatePrice per m3 ($US)
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
646
810
963
850
1,390
1,256
1,511
1,583
2,809
2,965
2,965
3,919
4,603
4,840
6,862
7,801
8,359
6,075
not available
9,964
13.449
7.5000
7.4919
7.5945
7.7420
8.1016
8.3759
8.9604
8.7386
8.1928
8.1258
7.8629
8.6585
9.4551
10.0989
11.3626
12.3687
12.6108
12.9615
13.9171
16.2255
17.5035
$86
$108
$127
$110
$172
$150
$169
$193
$343
$365
$377
$452
$487
$479
$604
$630
$663
$469
not available
$614
$768
Source: Bebarta (1999).