EU tropical log imports fall another 20%

EU imports of tropical hardwood logs were 186,000 m3 in 2013, down 20% compared to the previous year. Imports of this commodity into France, the main destination, were down 20% at 86,350 cu.m. Imports from all the leading supply countries declined, including Congo (Kinshasa), Congo (Brazzaville), Cameroon, Central African Republic, and Liberia.

The decline is due to the combined effects of weak European demand, supply constraints, and regulatory uncertainty. The European okoume plywood manufacturing sector, formerly a major buyer of logs, has struggled to compete during the recession and capacity is now small, with a significant share of production having relocated to Gabon.

Due to supply problems and rising log prices, more central European mills that formerly imported tropical hardwood logs for sawing and slicing have switched to temperate hardwoods this year. On the supply side, polit ical unrest restricted log availability from Central African Republic in 2013. The Liberian government placed a freeze on all logging activities in January 2013, including on the exportation of logs from the country.

Meanwhile, encouraged by the EUTR, environmental groups have focused heavily on finding discrepancies in the legal documentation for log exports from the Congo basin. This has added to the already high level of uncertainty in the EU tropical hardwood log trade.

The only significant upward trend in EU tropical log imports was of teak from Myanmar. This has followed the end of trade sanctions and has also been encouraged by Myanmar‘s announcement of a ban on log e xports fro m April 2014. The main European end users in the boat – building sector have been building stocks in advance of the measure.

IHB