By Tropical Timber Market Report
A report published by the Timber Industry Development Division (TIDD) of the Ghana Forestry Commission (GFC) shows that Ghana exported a total volume of 201 481cu.m of wood products during the 11 months to November 2020.
Ghana exported a total volume of 201 481cu.m of wood products during the 11 months to November 2020. Image credit: IMD Library
The corresponding export earnings were Eur103 080-million. Compared to the same period in 2019 there was a 28% drop in export volumes and a 27% drop in export earnings. Air-dried sawnwood accounted for 50% of the total timber shipments up to November 2020 while three other products, kiln-dried sawnwood, plywood (for regional markets) and billets together accounted for 36% of total exports.
Eighty-one exporters were involved in the production and export of wood products. The major markets were in Asia 60%, Europe 19%, Africa 14%, North America 5% and the balance to Middle East markets. The top markets for air-dried sawnwood were India (74%), China (11%) and Vietnam (7%).
Products that registered increases in volume were air-dried boules, mouldings, and rotary veneer. These products were produced from forty-one species with the top five being plantation teak, wawa, ceiba, denya and asanfina. The average unit price for wood product exports in the first 11 months of 2020 was Eur512/cu.m compared to Eur502/cu.m for the same period in 2019. The TIDD report identifies the main exporters as: Peacrok Company, Fortune Exim Ghana, Samartex Timber and Plywood Company , Duakron Ghana, and PM Overseas Ghana.
