First published in the Tropical Timber Market Report

While there is no official statement, there are several reports that the Myanma Timber Enterprise (MTE) has suspended harvesting for the 2021-2022 season.

The Trade Department suspended the issuance of export licenses for timber products except veneers from the first week of April. Photo by Myanma timber

The Trade Department suspended the issuance of export licenses for timber products except veneers from the first week of April. Photo by Myanma timber

For 2020-21 MTE had planned to harvest about 4 000 tons of teak and 200 000 tons of other hardwoods. Harvest levels are determined from inventory data from which an Annual Allowable Cut (AAC) is determined. The AAC set by the Forest Department for the ten years from 2016-17 to 2125-2126 is about 19 120 teak trees and 592 330 other hardwood trees.

In 2020 some MTE log stocks went unsold as the monthly tenders were postponed or cancelled because of the pandemic. It is assumed that there are considerable stocks held especially of non-teak hardwoods. The Forest Department and MTE have from time to time indicated that the harvest is far less than the AAC but there are critics who say the reliability of the inventory, which is core to calculate the AAC, may be inaccurate. 7 ITTO TTM Report: 25:8 16 – 30 April 2021 According to exporters, the Trade Department suspended the issuance of export licenses for timber products except veneers from the first week of April. Following a meeting among the Trade Department, Forest Department and Custom Department and exporters a decision to resume the issuance of export licenses will soon be made.