Sep 07, 2010. /Lesprom Network/. Imports of wood and timber products from Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the US by processing mills in Sarawak, Malaysia, have continued to increase, ITTO reported. In the first half of 2010, 63,000 cubic metres of raw materials worth RM63 million ($20 million) were imported by processing mills in Sarawak. These raw materials include logs, sawnwood, wood flitches and veneer. In comparison, around 118,000 cubic metres of wood and timber products worth RM119 million ($38 million) were imported in 2009 and some 72,000 cubic metres worth RM77.6 million ($25 million) in 2008. During the first half of 2010, up to 95% of raw materials were imported from Australia comprising RM60.5 million ($19.3 million) worth of veneer which was processed into plywood. Imported sawnwood was processed into wood mouldings and wooden furniture. As for log imports, Sarawak state limits importation to species which are not available locally. These logs are then processed into value-added products. For the first half of 2010, Sarawak posted earnings of RM3.67 billion ($1.2 billion) from wood and timber product exports, compared to RM6.59 billion ($2.1 billion) for the whole year of 2009. Out of the total exports in the first half of 2010, 2.04 million cubic metres were logs valued at RM974 million ($312 million) and some 1.46 million cubic metres were plywood worth RM1.95 billion (624 million). Japan imported more than 50% of Sarawak’s total plywood exports.