Earnings from export of forest products drops

Ghana's export earnings from forest products declined from 19,081,245 Euros in May 2002 to 13,699,760 Euros this year as 47,539 cubic metres of the commodity was exported last year as against only 36,829 cubic metres for the same period this year.

According to the Timber Industry Development Division Newsletter released in Accra on Tuesday, cumulative figures for the period January to May 2002 were 195,892 cubic metres, valued at 80,116,207 Euros.

The publication said corresponding figures for January to May this year were 182,432 cubic metres, at a value of 68,745,967 Euros representing a slump of 6.87 per cent in volume and 14.19 per cent in value of wood products exported.

J. P. Peprah, Executive Director of the division attributed the drop in volume of forest exports to "the scarcity of wood raw materials." He said if the situation should be remedied, "then we have to accelerate the rate at which we replant our forests," adding that partners including NGOs should be encouraged to assist in reforestation programmes.

The Newsletter mentioned leading wood products in the export business as Kiln-dried lumber and Air-dried lumber and leading wood species involved as Wawa, Ceiba and Asanfina.

Major consumers of the country's wood products included Europe, Asia, the Far East, Africa, the Middle East, United States of America and Oceania.