Ghana’s timber exports hit a record high in the first quarter, confirming the good trend already seen in the first two months (read our news: Ghana’s timber product exports up nearly 20% ). Thus, 68,617 m3 were shipped abroad from January to March 2021 against 54,022 m3 over the same period last year.
The four main products, representing 90% of shipments being dried sawnwood (33,394 m3), logs (13,693 m3), kiln-dried sawnwood (9,725 m3), and plywood (4,632 m3).
In terms of value, each of these products recorded a very strong increase in its revenue, of the order of + 275% for logs, + 33% for air-dried sawnwood, + 16% for plywood and + 6.48% for kiln-dried sawnwood.
Export revenues from the timber industry totaled € 36.44 million over these first three months of the year against € 26.58 million at the start of 2020. The average price of timber fell from € 492 per m3 in the first quarter. 2020 to € 531 at the start of 2021, an increase of 8%.
The Forestry Commission also notes that, at the start of 2021, 92 producers had exported 12 different products from 47 varieties including teak, wawa, ceiba (cheese), denya and essa, reports the International Tropical Timber Organization ( ITTO) in its bimonthly newsletter. These products went to 41 markets, the first of which are India, the United States, Belgium, Germany and Italy.
Note that according to the Ghana Forest Industries Association (FIAG), the private national timber industry generates 400,000 jobs and an income of € 200 million.
