Wood Exports Up By Four Percent

TAKORADI, Ghana (PANA) - Ghana exported a total of 433,000 cubic metres of wood in 1999, which was 4 percent higher than in 1998 when almost 416,000 cubic metres were sold abroad.

The value was up from 171 million dollars to 173.8 million dollars, according to the Timber Export Division of the Forestry Commission.

In 1999, added value products based on veneer totalled nearly 126,000 cubic metres valued at 55.6 million dollars. These included rotary, sliced and curl veneer, plywood and lay-ons.

It said added value products based on solid wood, excluding kiln-dried sawn wood, in 1999 were less than veneer-based products at just over 25,000 cubic metres valued at 18.5 million dollars.

The commission explained that the lower figures for added value products based on solid wood was due to the volume of wood sold to furniture makers in Ghana and subsequently exported.

The added value element of veneer-based and solid wood-based goods amounted to 35 percent of the total exported volume but nearly 43 percent by value while kiln- dried sawn wood and kiln boules made up 31 percent of total export volume or 28 percent by value.