Exports of timber products up 52% in ’04 — DENR

The country’s exports of timber products increased by 52 percent to $30.6 million last year from $20.1 million the previous year, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Forest Management Bureau (FMB) said.

A total of 181,833 cubic meters of timber products, including plywood, lumber, veneer and round logs harvested from private tree plantations nationwide were exported in 2004, mostly to Japan, Taiwan and the United States.

Topping last year’s export performer was plywood, posting $17.7 million in sales, a 213.7 percent increase from the $5.65 million in 2003.

Next in the list was lumber with $9.7 million in sales; veneer, $3.2 million; and round logs, $600,000.

In terms of export volume, however, lumber led the list with 124,847 cubic meters, followed by plywood with 47,731 cubic meters, veneer with 7,493 cubic meters, and round logs with 1,762 cubic meters.

The DENR-FMB said the total export figures represented about 10 percent of the total production of the four major forest products last year, which was 1,793,498 cubic meters.

"The country exports these four forest products for their demand in high-value niches in developed countries like the United States and Canada," the DENR said.

"Because of their superior wood qualities, the four commodities command higher dollar value compared to the same commodities exported by other Asian wood-exporting countries like Indonesia and Malaysia," it added.

These exports, the DENR said, have shored up the country’s much-needed dollar reserves.

Meanwhile, the DENR-FMB reported that the country’s imports of the four major wood products went down last year.

The agency said the country imported 525,695 cubic meters of these products, valued at $151.3 million, in 2004 compared to the 835,357 cubic meters valued at $191.3 million the previous year.

The country imports the wood products to meet its annual domestic wood requirements of an average of 2.5 million cubic meters.

Last year, the country imported 246,685 cubic meters of lumber worth $88.4 million; 177,107 cubic meters of round logs worth $17.9 million; 59,858 cubic meters of veneer worth $16.4 million; and 42,045 cubic meters of plywood worth $28.6 million.

The country sources its wood products from 20 countries like China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Canada, the United States, the Netherlands and New Zealand.

Aside from the four wood products, the Philippines also imports from these countries other wood-based commodities like particle boards, fiber boards, pulp and paper wastes used in the manufacture of paper, cartons, boxes, and specialized packaging materials for chemicals and medicines.