16 December 2014: The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) launched the 1-15 December issue of the Tropical Timber Market (TTM) Report highlighting the Rs 10 billion earned through the sale of confiscated red sanders logs by the Government of Andhra Pradesh, India. The sale was initially challenged in court, however the court ruled that the sale could proceed.

The report also features a story on the arrival of new cranes at Douala Port in Cameroon, which will allow for the loading of stockpiled logs. It is also revealed that Cameroon remains the largest importer of tropical sawn hardwood to Canada in spite of a drop in total imports by 22% over the previous month.

Elsewhere, the report notes that depreciation of the Yen is resulting in higher import costs in Japan while, in China, new revisions to the timber processing licensing system is causing significant debate between those who wish to retain the current system in place since 1986, and those who seek a drastic simplification.

With regard to European markets, despite delays in the recovery of the EU construction industry, the EU plywood market is showing signs of recovery with imports over the first 9 months of 2014 reported to be 12% higher than the same period in 2013.

Finally, the report states that a recent marketing mission by the Malaysian Timber Council resulted in RM 6 million in export orders from Kuwait, Oman and Qatar. Also in Asia, the report notes that illegal logging in Myanmar has resulted in the seizure of 40,000 tons of timber over seven months.

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 is published through the ITTO Market Information Service (MIS). [Publication: Tropical Timber Market Report – Issue 18 Number 23]