Myanmar teak export increased by 15.2% in 2004

Sep 21, 2005. /Lesprom Network/. The teak export of Myanmar increased by 15.2% to 428,745 cubic meters in 2004, according to the latest official statistics. The country's teak export in 2003 was registered at 372,145 cubic meters. In 2004, it fetched an export earning of over $240 million, the figures of the Central Statistical Organization show. The country's teak export during the year stood the largest in the previous 10 years in terms of quantity compared with 1994's 212,250 cubic meters. Teak stands as one of Myanmar's major foreign-exchange-earning export goods, dominating the international teak market. According to reports, some 17 private companies have been engaged in timber extraction in cooperation with the state-run Myanmar Timber Enterprise since last year with over 1,200 hectares of teak plantations having been established in four divisions and states of Bago, Magway, Sagaing and Shan. Myanmar has increased teak plantation since 1980 and launched special such plantations in 1998. Since then, 336,150 hectares have been under teak, according to the authorities. Myanmar replants forests over 30,000 hectares a year to ensure adequate supply of timber in the country, while banning logging in the reforestated areas until 2020. The five-year reforestation project, being implemented in a range of mountains in central Bago Yoma, started early 2004 and involved the planting of 76,950 hectares of economic and valuable trees such as teak and hardwood. Having replanted about 769,500 hectares of forests between 1992 and 2003, Myanmar targets to grow 324,000 hectares of teak under the program during the next 40 years. Meanwhile, the country has been establishing wood-based industry, giving priority to manufacturing value-added finished wood products for export. A number of wood-related industrial zones in the country have also been set up to boost the production of such products since export of wood log is being restricted and export of teak log by the private sector has been banned since 1992 when the government enacted the Forest Law. Recently, the government encouraged the private sector to plant and export teak grown by them under the existing forestry policy to boost production of forest products. Timber stands as the country's third largest export goods after mineral and agricultural products. Myanmar is rich in forest resources with forests covering about 50% of its total land area.