31 May 2014: The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) launched the 16-31 May issue of the Tropical Timber Market (TTM) Report, highlighting infrastructure construction in Brazil that will shorten the route to Pacific ports in Chile and support the export of Brazilian products to Asia, among other destinations.

The report notes a significant increase in the proportion of secondary wood products from Ghana imported by the EU. However, EU construction values are expected to drop in 2014, which may affect imports. Also concerning the EU market, Malaysia may be set to sign a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) under the EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) process by 2015, according to the report.

The TTM also profiles the recent Myanmar Timber Enterprise (MTE) sales policy. The policy allows logs and sawn timber purchased with local currency from MTE branches to be exported, though not in log form and only after further processing and inspection.

Other stories covered in the report include the rise in Indian plywood prices due to a drop in the supply of raw material, the fifth straight drop in consumer confidence in Japan, and a call for further funding for the enforcement of the Lacey Act on wood import requirements in the US.

In addition to the headline stories, the report contains tropical timber market reports from Brazil, China, Ghana, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar and Peru. The report further recounts regional tropical timber market statistics from Central and West Africa, Europe and North America.

The TTM, published through the ITTO Market Information Service (MIS), requires free registration to access the reports. [Publication: Tropical Timber Market Report – Issue 18 Number 10]