HELSINKI: The import of softwood lumber in the Middle East from the main European exporters and North America was 2.62 million cubic metres (-14% compared to 2015) during January-August 2016, Woodstat reported. The import from Russia during the same period was 646,000 cubic metres (-17%), Romania 510,000 cubic metres (-27%), Germany 413,000 cubic metres (-10%), Finland 335,000 cubic metres (+10%) and Sweden 296,000 cubic metres (-17%).
After a rapid increase in imports 2007-2011 the volume has fallen and actual import is the smallest since 2009. Among the five largest exporters, Finland is the only country that is shipping larger volumes during January-August 2016 compared to 2015. In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia is the leading importer and United Arab Emirates is the second largest followed by Iran, Jordan and Lebanon. All main importers have imported smaller volumes during January-August compared to the same period previous year.
