Brazilian sawmills are facing closure due to falling demand for plywood and the continued weakness of the US dollar, the latest Tropical Timber Market report states.
According to the report, published by the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO), small and medium-sized companies in the sector that do not own their own forests are struggling with rising log prices and face closure, with the Paraná Association of Forest Based Companies noting that 30,000 jobs have been lost since 2004.
Elsewhere in Brazil, exports from sawmills in the state of Pará fell from US$647m during the first six months of 2006 to US$446.8m during the same period this year, with Cambara KD and pine available for US$464/m3 and US$101/m3 respectively.
