Taking a look only at the Levant, India, the Far East (Japan and China) and the USA, it was a successful period especially for Germany. With 370,000 m³ its overseas presence grew by 84%. Germany discovered China in particular as a market for lower quality products. Despite increases (+31% went to India, another +45% to the US) “only” about one quarter of German exports goes to overseas markets.
A higher percentage of overseas exports can be found in Finland (56%) and Sweden (30%). Both countries experience a shift of markets: Sweden and Finland are making losses in China, but are gaining in Egypt. This is true especially for Finland: This year, Egypt (334,000 m³; +61%) replaced China (210,000 m³; -19%) as the no. 1 buyer of Finnish sawn timber.
Sweden also exported notably more sawn timber to Egypt (238,000 m³; +74%) in the first two months of the year. However, both markets are a rollercoaster when it comes to quantities: It is a constant up and down.
All four exporting countries registered increases in the US. For Germany, the USA have already become by far the most important buyer of softwood sawn timber. For the other three – Sweden (65,000 m³; +21 %), Austria (36,000 m³; +91 %) and Finland (5,000 m³; +300%) – the market is of growing importance despite a sharp drop in prices.
