DNA testing is to be used to discover whether teak exported from Thailand has been cut from the country’s virgin forests.
The Thai National Bio-Engineering and Technology Centre’s DNA laboratory has disclosed that it is conducting experiments on samples of export teak to discover their source.
Critics in importing countries have claimed that so-called cultivated teak comes from Thailand’s few remaining virgin forests. The Thai timber industry believes the claims are part of a campaign to eliminate Thai competition in the teak market.
