January to October export performance Ghana exported a total of 266,015cu.m of wood products in the first 10 months of 2019 earning euro 129.85 million. Export volumes and values in the first 10 months of 2019 fell by 4% and 18% respectively when compared to the same period in 2018.
The export of five products, air and kiln dry sawnwood, plywood to regional markets, billet and sliced veneer accounted for over 90% of the total export volume for the period.
Products that saw significant increases included kiln dried boules, sliced veneer plywood and kindling. However, the overall average unit price for export product in the first 10 months of 2019 dropped to euro 488/cu.m from euro 570/cu.m in 2018.
Asia continued as the major market for country’s wood product with a 69% growth in 2019, compared in 2018 but the pace of growth in Asian markets has slowed. This was followed by Europe which recorded a 15% year on year increase. Regional African markets continued to perform well.
The leading species that went into the production of export products were teak, wawa, ceiba, eucalyptus and mahogany.