Takoradi, Aug. 20, GNA- The Timber Industry Development Division (TIDD) has issued export permits worth about 86 million euros this year to about 152 exporters to enable them to export wood products. This is contained in timber export permit report for January to June 2003 released by the TIDD in Takoradi on Tuesday.

The permits covered about 266,032 cubic meters of wood products including lumber, furniture parts, veneer, plywood, mouldings and other wood products, which were to be exported to the international market and some ECOWAS countries.

The report says thirteen companies, led by SAMARTEX Timber and Plywood Company Limited contributed 19 million Euros, representing 21 percent of their export earnings for January to June 2003. The report said exports to the European markets notably France, Holland, the United Kingdom, Italy and Germany accounted for almost 59 percent and 54 percent in value and volume respectively of the wood exports for the first half of this year.

The report indicated that Italy was the single largest wood and wood products importer edging out Germany and the United Kingdom as the leading wood and wood products importer from Ghana with about 16.5 million Euros purchases followed by the United States with 13 million Euros.

It said 'wawa' continued its dominance as the most exported species mainly in kiln dried lumber and mouldings and contributed 16.46 million Euros followed by Ceiba with 16 million Euros during the same period. The report said export of secondary products such as lumber, veneer and plywood constituted the bulk of the export trade and contributed about 95 percent of the period's earning with veneer fetching the highest unit price of about 8,980 Euros per cubic meter.

In spite of incentives such as the waiver of one percent levy on the export of tertiary wood products, the response from the tertiary sector on the timber trade and industry has been slow and seemingly less enthusiastic, the report said.

"Export values and volumes of tertiary wood products have been inching upwards at snail space, for example, the sector earned about 11.6 million Euros from about 22,500 cubic meters from January to June this year as against about 18 million Euros from about 33,000 cubic meters in 2002", the report said.