I don't know. Low import prices could be due to dumping or a ploy to
build market-share or there could be a number of other reasons. High
prices of bamboo MUST be due to Indian middle-men's mark-ups. Surely
bamboo producers get pea-nuts, around Rs. 10 in upper Assam if I am
not mistaken,for a normal sized mature bamboo. I am no expert. You
are the guys who should know.
If SE Asian countries' bamboo producers are selling bamboo for export at say
Rs. X per piece, with transportation cost ( must be a whole lot more
than from the NE), that HIGHER import duty and dealers' profit added;
still selling it at a price at Dilli lower than those from the NE,
then the value of X must be less than zero ( being donated or heavily
subsidized ). That being unlikely, the answer must be:
A: That Indian middle-men making a killing, while robbing
the producers blind.
OR
B: The whole story is another Indian myth, concocted to demonize
the NE, no doubt to shore up the other myth---that the place
has nothing of value to India, like so many of our assamnetters
argue to support their claim that Assam or the NE cannot survive
without Indian handouts/dole.
What do you think or believe?
At 9:39 AM -0800 3/5/07, Rajib Das wrote:
>Actually what I heard was that the cheaper prices were
>despite higher import duties on raw materials. And
>that there was better reliability of supply and
>quality.
>
>Any guesses why free market efficiencies are not
>coming to the picture?
>
>
>
>
>--- Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
>> I don't know Rajib. Why, if it is so?
>>
>> Do SE Asian countries export bamboo to Dilli?
>>
>> If so, that would be yet another case of blatant
>> discrimination and
>> exploitation of the NE: Thru Dilli's protectionist
>> policies of import
>> restrictions of essential commodities to deprive the
>> consumers of the
>> NE of competitive pricing for quality goods, while
>> rewarding its
>> business classes elsewhere in the country by
>> allowing entry of cheap
>> raw material from outside and thus depriving its own
>> of its market
>> share.
>>
>> As an MBA dedicated to the free market economy and
>> as a
>> desi-patriot, how does that grab you :-)?
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> At 6:32 PM -0800 3/4/07, Rajib Das wrote:
>> >For a workshop in Delhi, why is bamboo costlier to
>> buy
>> >from Assam today than importing from the south east
>> >asian countries?
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >--- Dilip/Dil Deka <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>> >
>> >> O'Mahanta,
>> >> I think I read your mind. That is exactly what
>> I
>> >> was thinking. Can the lumber stock be made in
>> Assam
>> >> from the bamboos widely available in Assam - for
>> >> example zati or Bholuka banh in kamrup? What
>> >> preservatives are needed and are they readily
>> >> available? The bamboo has to be cut at the right
>> >> time, it has to be stored at a certain
>> temperature,
>> >> need the right preservatives, need the right
>> >> shrinkage, need the right machines to process
>> the
>> >> stock and what else?
>> >> Would we need know-how from China, Taiwan or
>> >> Japan? If so, who and what prevents us from
>> getting
>> >> it?
>> >>
>> >> Bamboo is becoming expensive in Assam also, a
>> sign
>> >> of globalization I guess. Still if there is a
>> margin
>> >> in the end product, cost of raw material should
>> not
>> >> be a problem.
>> >>
>> >> See there is a prospect for the unemployed in
>> >> Namti. :-)
>> >> O'Deka
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>> >> Thanks Ram.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Actually I was not thinking of importing to
>> USA at
>> >> all. Nor was I considering the finished goods.
>> Those
>> >> could be made by skilled carpenters and
>> builders. It
>> >> is the engineered lumber stock, made and sold to
>> end
>> >> users for whatever
>> >> purpose they can imagine. It could be a fine
>> >> product for use locally, considering that good
>> >> quality timber, if available, is like gold.
> > >>
>> >>
>> >> But I am looking into it. Will see where it
>> might
>> >> lead.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> c-da
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> At 12:54 PM -0600 3/4/07, Ram Sarangapani
>> wrote:
>> >> C'da, These are just fantastic. Love the
>> >> coffee tables. It must have been a lot of hard
>> work.
>> >> With reference to marjeting of bamboo
>> products,
>> >> years ago (I think around 1995 or so), a friend
>> of
>> >> mine from Guwahati wanted to market plywood
>> (with
>> >> compressed bamboo filling: ie two plywood sheets
>> and
>> >> inside would be this bamboo compressed pulp -
>> the
>> >> best I can describe). I took the samples (he
>> had
>> >> sent) to some of the local Houston people in the
>> >> construction business. Several of them were very
>> >> interested. There were several problems: (1)
>> the
>> >> price was way too high. (2) the resin that was
>> used
>> >> was a substance the would not pass US import
>> >> regulations (Not a fire retardant)
>> >> It didn't go thru, of course, but for those
>> >> interested in exporting bamboo products, these
>> are
>> >> some things I experienced first hand, and may
>> come
>> >> in handy. Further, for finished products,
>> some
>> >> of the places to try would be like Pier 1
>> Imports
>> >> (stores like that). As most people already know
>> >> supplies must be consistent and uniform, and
>> often
>> >> such stores may want varying quanties, sometimes
>> in
>> >> a hurry. One big problem for a many products
>> >> from India in the finish. Compare products from
>> >> China or Taiwan, Indian products may be
>> functional,
>> >> but definitely lack the finish. Your table
>> on
>> >> the other hand loked fabulous. --Ram On
>> 3/4/07,
>> >> Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>> >> http://flickr.com/photos/cmahanta-stl/
>> >>
>> >> 3 Images of Mboo ( copyrighted name) Cofee Table
>> >> from the workshop of
>> > > yours truly.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> I just completed a coffee table that I made from
>> >> left over bamboo
>> >> floor boards, which are engineered from strips
>> of
>> >> glued and laminated
>> >> bamboo. I machined off the grooved bottom
>> surface of
>> >> the 5/8" thick
>> >> floor boards with a recently acquired 13" power
>> >> planer to a thickness
>> >> of 1/2", glued the two together to make an one
>> inch
>> >> thick board,
>> >> ripped off the tongues and grooves on a radial
>> arm
>> >> saw, planed the
>> >> thin edges off by clamping together several
>> boards
>> >> and voila: I had
>> >> 1" thick X 3.5" wide engineered bamboo lumber to
>> >> build furniture with.
>> >>
>> >> The bottom shelf is made from 3/4" thick medium
>> >> density fiber-board (
>> >> MDF) finished with bamboo veneered wall covering
>> (
>> >> expensive @ $
>>
>=== message truncated ===
>
>
>
>
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