Global forest industry representatives have urged ministers to open up international wood and paper markets to more liberalised trade.
Representatives of the New Zealand Forest Owners Association, Forest Products Association of Canada, American Forest & Paper Association (AF & PA) and the Confederation of European Paper Industries made their appeal at a World Trade Organisation meeting in Hong Kong.
Jacob Handelsman, AF & PA spokesperson, said free trade would benefit consumers in the shape of lower costs and a greater variety of products, while the cost of construction could be lowered in countries which relied on imports.
Industry speakers asked ministers to include a strong formula for forest product tariff reduction within the coming Doha Development Agenda negotiations.
The call for freer trade builds on a negotiating proposal for trade liberalisation in the forest products sector submitted recently by the governments of Canada, China, New Zealand, Thailand and the US.
