WASHINGTON: Ghana’s exports of wood products for the 11 month period between January and November 2015, as reported by the Timber Industry Development Division (TIDD) of the Forestry Commission, increased year-on-year by almost 4.5% to 327,279 cubic metres. Wood product export earnings jumped to Euro 166.85 million, an increase of 36% compared to that for the same period in 2014.
The positive export performance was the result of increased sales of air-dried sawnwood (20%), rotary veneer (21%) and kiln dried lumber (3%). However, exports of some products fell including exports of plywood to non-regional markets (-78%), sawnwood to regional markets (-5%), sliced veneer to regional markets (-30%) and plywood to regional markets (-16%).
For the 11 month period reported air-dried sawnwood, rotary veneer and kiln-dried sawnwood accounted for 60% of the total volume of exports with some fourteen other wood products making up the balance. The three and only leading exporters of plywood for the period reviewed were Samartex Timber and Plywood Company Ltd, Naja David Veneer and Plywood and Bibiani Logging and Lumber Company Ltd. The main species utilised ceiba, black ofram and walnut. Regional markets accounted for a major share of exports and included Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Niger and Togo.
The overall market shares for the 11 month period in 2015 were Asia (58%), Africa (19%), Europe (14%), America (5%), Middle East (3%) with small volumes to Oceania. Within the ECOWAS regional block Nigeria (39%), Burkina Faso (24%), Niger(20%) and Senegal(7%) were the four leading importers of Ghana’s wood products in the period reviewed and accounted for 89%, or 51,486 cubic metres.
