The total volume of Timber Industry Development Division (Ghana) approved export contacts in the 1Q 2016 was 86,335 cubic metres, a drop of 28% when compared to approvals in the final quarter of 2015.
There was a steep fall in approvals for export of primary and secondary products, with only the small volume of tertiary product exports registering growth, ITTO reported.
Exports of primary products in the 1Q fell 33% year-on-year due mainly to a decline in shipments of teak logs/billets (-85%).
Secondary product exports also fell (-30%) to a low of around 74,000 cubic metres; while tertiary product exports increased of 67% to 3,428 cubic metres.
In the 1Q sawnwood accounted for 64% (55,409 cubic metres) of the volume of all approved export contracts while plywood accounted for a further 12% (10,292 cubic metres).
Regional West African markets continued to be the major market for plywood, while for tertiary products, such as sliced veneer and kiln dried sawnwood, the main markets were in Europe.
Species such as rosewood (air-dried sawnwood) and high lumber density species such as apa, ekki and denya were mainly for the Chinese market.
Mahogany and cedrella sawnwood along with rotary veneer found a ready market in the US. Middle East and Egyptian markets emerged as a major destination for backing grade veneer, with India the main market for teak sawnwood and gmelina logs.
