Nov 01, 2006. /Lesprom Network/. Earnings from timber exports fell to Euro 112.6 million (288 895 cubic meters) in January-August 2005, down 8% (down 7% in volume) from the same period in 2005, ITTO reported according to the Timber Industry Development Division (TIDD) of the Forestry Commission (FC). Primary wood products (lumber, veneer, boules, poles, pegs, plywood and billet) and processed wood products accounted for 88.7% and 11.3% of the exports, respectively. The FC attributed the export decline to structural constraints, including deficient processing equipments, unskilled labour and low-level production techniques. Price instability, which affected exports during the last quarter of 2005, had spilled over to the first two quarters of this year. Europe remained as Ghana’s major trading partner accounting for Euro 51.9 million (104 558 cubic meters) during the period. Key major European markets included Italy, France, Germany, the UK and the Netherlands. The ECOWAS region (Senegal, Nigeria, Gambia, Mali, Benin, Togo and Burkina Faso) absorbed 80% of Africa’s Euro 20.9 million wood imports.