New figures support anecdotal reports of a dramatic EU-wide fall in imports of tropical hardwood products during 2008, according to the latest ITTO report.
The slump was felt across the EU, and, according to the ITTO, affected almost the entire range of wood products imported from tropical countries.
In 2008, the volume of EU-25 imports of hardwood logs, sawn, veneer and plywood from countries in the tropical forest zone was down 27%, 23%, 11% and 14% respectively.
The volume of hardwood imports from tropical countries into France, Italy, Spain and Portugal fell particularly steeply throughout last year.
Imports into the UK fell more slowly, although ITTO posits this was probably due more to the delayed reaction of the UK plywood sector than to any strength in underlying consumption.
Two brighter spots were imports into Belgium and the Netherlands, which held up better than most other countries in 2008.
Meanwhile, the fortunes of key tropical hardwood supplying countries to the EU have varied widely, although none can claim to have had a particularly ‘good year’.
The volume of EU-25 imports of hardwood products from China fell from a peak of around 330,000m3 in the third quarter of 2007 to less than 180,000m3 in the last quarter of 2008.
The ITTO says rising costs of labour and raw material combined with quality and environmental concerns were undermining the competitiveness of Chinese plywood products in the EU market from the middle of 2007 onwards.
Brazilian imports also fell dramatically, although Malaysian hardwood suppliers performed better than most of their competitors in the European market. Imports of Malaysian plywood, for example, were up 14% with large increases in sales to Belgium, Netherlands and Italy.
