Total UK tropical wood product imports in the first half of 2019 were up 13% to 312,000 tonnes. Biggest increases were seen in mouldings and decking, 56% ahead at 6,900 tonnes, flooring, up 42% to 1,500 tonnes, sawn timber, up 20.6% to 36,000 tonnes, wood furniture up 15.4% at 108,620 tonnes and plywood 13.8% at 104,000 tonnes.
Decreases came in tropical log imports, 64% down to 1,040 tonnes and sleepers, 18.4% lower at 1,150 tonnes.
In terms of supplier country, greatest growth came in tropical wood imports from China (mainly plywood), ahead 79.8% at 54,970 tonnes.
Imports from the Republic of Congo were 25% up at 5,810 tonnes, Brazil 19.3% at 6,630 tonnes, India 16.5% at 7,870 tonnes and Cameroon 16.1% at 9,330 tonnes. Of the other top three suppliers, Vietnamese imports were 8.3% ahead at 52,530 tonnes, Malaysian 2.7% at 68,180 tonnes and Indonesian 0.9% at 59,000 tonnes.
Considering just tropical sawn wood, the largest UK suppliers in the first half of 2019 were Cameroon, with sales up 23.4% at 9,080 tonnes, Malaysia, 1.9% down at 5,250 tonnes, Republic of Congo, up 22.8% at 5,690 tonnes, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, up 61.4% at 3,230 tonnes. Imports from Brazil were up 117.1% to 2,350 tonnes. Indirect imports from the Netherlands also increased, up 58.1% at 3,200 tonnes.
In tropical plywood, biggest suppliers to the UK during the six month period were China, up 80.6% at 54,960 tonnes, Malaysia, down 32% to 16,810 tonnes and Indonesia, down 14.2% to 17,810 tonnes.
UK importers generally expect that tropical imports will plateau in the second half of 2019, or even contract due to weakening economic conditions, increased market caution and the high stock levels built up over the preceding six months.
Looking to the longer term one importer suggested that, due to the pent up demand for housing in the UK and RMI work, “once Brexit is resolved and the market settled, business could recover quite quickly”. The question, said another, is when that will be. “A pickup is not on the cards as far as I can see ahead,” he said.