NZTIF update: MumbaiWood 2026 & India markets [NZ]

NZTIF update: MumbaiWood 2026 & India markets [NZ]

Friday 2 Oct 2026

NZTIF recently participated in MumbaiWood 2026 in Mumbai as part of a wider programme aimed at developing opportunities for New Zealand timber products in India.

NZTIF President Bruce Larsen and Chief Executive Jeff Ilott travelled to India from 14 to 21 September, with the visit supported by NZ Trade and Enterprise, Te Uru Rākau and the Bio-Economy Science Institute. The programme was designed to combine the trade show with direct engagement across the Indian timber, construction, design and manufacturing sectors.

MumbaiWood and the New Zealand presence

MumbaiWood 2026 was held at the Bombay Exhibition Centre from 18 to 20 September 2026. NZTIF participated through the New Zealand Pavilion, which was organised with NZTE support.

The Pavilion initiative was intended to give New Zealand wood and forestry organisations individual visibility while also presenting a coordinated New Zealand presence. The programme was designed around engagement with manufacturers, importers, distributors, architects and project buyers.

NZTIF took a range of physical New Zealand radiata pine product samples to Mumbai, including decking, weatherboards, structural timber, clears, LVL and Glulam, enabling discussions to move beyond logs and commodity products and demonstrate the range of value-added products New Zealand can supply.

Why India matters

The visit was deliberately broader than attending a trade show.

Before departure, NZTIF identified four objectives:

promote New Zealand radiata pine and its performance, sustainability and supply credentials;
develop relationships with organisations capable of supporting greater market access and timber utilisation;
improve our understanding of Indian demand, regulation and barriers to entry; and
identify opportunities for greater specification and use of New Zealand timber across construction, manufacturing, packaging and related applications

The market work supporting the visit highlights an important distinction for New Zealand exporters. New Zealand already has an established position supplying softwood logs to India, but its presence in value-added products, ranging from sawn timber through to cladding, decking and engineered wood, remains limited.

A market study circulated to the travelling group identified premium construction, commercial and hospitality applications among areas where further opportunities may develop. The market study will be circulated once finalised.

This reinforces NZTIF's view that the opportunity is not simply to sell more wood into India. The longer-term challenge is to build recognition of New Zealand radiata pine as a reliable material for a much broader range of higher-value applications.

Building relationships beyond the trade show

A central purpose of the visit was therefore relationship-building.

Prior to departure, NZTIF had identified engagement with organisations including the Indian Institute of Architects, Indian Institute of Interior Designers, Indian Society of Landscape Architects, Builders Association of India and the Association of Furniture Manufacturers and Traders as part of the programme.

This approach reflects an important lesson from the work undertaken before MumbaiWood: India needs to be approached through both the commercial supply chain and the organisations and professionals influencing material choice.

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Source & image credit: NZ Timber Industry Federation (NZTIF)

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