europe

More lumber to the MENA region

Article by Günther Jauk (translated by Eva Guzely) | 31.01.2023 - 10:21

After European softwood lumber exports to the MENA region had seen a year-on-year decrease of 6% in the first half of 2022, they recovered significantly in the third quarter.

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In the first nine months of 2022, European countries exported 5.52 million m³ of softwood lumber to the countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA region), recording a year-on-year increase of 4%. The most important export markets were Egypt (1.8 million m³), Saudi Arabia (1.03 million m³), Morocco (620,000 m³) and Algeria (539,000 m³).

Once again, Finland (1.92 million m³) and Sweden (1.68 million m³) were by far the biggest exporting countries, with Sweden recording a much bigger increase (+23%) than its neighbor in the east (+3%).

Austria (431,000 m³; +6%) and Germany (357,000 m³; +9%) also exported bigger volumes of softwood lumber to the region, while shipments coming from Romania decreased by over one third, totaling only 342,000 m³.

The nine biggest softwood lumber trade flows from the EU to the MENA region all had their origins in Finland or Sweden. The one from Austria to Saudi Arabia (106,000 m³; +24%) is only in tenth place.

Softwood lumber exports to the MENA region | Q1 – Q3 2022
Horizontal: Importing country \| Vertical: Exporting country
European shipments of softwood lumber to North Africa and the Middle East (in 1,000 m³)
Country	Egypt	Saudi Arabia	Morocco	Algeria	Israel	UAE	Tunisia	Qatar	Other countries	Total 1–9 2021	Total 1–9 2022	Diff. in %
Finland	839	357	141	189	285	0.3	56	0	56	1,874	1,922	3
Sweden	809	261	255	156	42	1	65	0.3	89	1,361	1,678	23
Austria	3	106	32	75	13	42	10	53	98	406	431	6
Germany	3	99	64	20	21	77	7	3	64	328	357	9
Romania	24	87	5	0	17	85	1	6	118	530	342	–35
Slovenia	0.3	52	21	89	2	21	12	52	71	251	320	28
Latvia	84	3	7	0.3	24	6	6	0.4	4	139	134	–3
Italy	3	15	1	0	4	20	0,2	7	17	67	68	0.5
Belgium	24	0	31	5	0.1	0.1	0	0	1	90	62	–32
Lithuania	0.4	29	1	0.4	16	3	1	1	6	68	58	–14
Other EU countries	12	21	63	5	14	9	3	7	14	196	147	–25
Total	1,800	1,029	620	539	438	264	160	130	538	5,310	5,520	4

Sources: Statistik Austria; Eurostat (in m³; Belgium, Spain: conversion of kg into m3, conversion factor 450 (product group 440712) and 550 (product groups 440711, 440719). Data on the EU-27 published by the European statistical office Eurostat were used for the analysis. Research focused on softwood lumber, including planed timber, and specifically on the product groups with the HS codes 440711, 440712, 440713, 440714, 440719. The MENA region according to the Holzkurier’s definition: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iraq, Islamic Republic of Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen. | © www.holzkurier.com

The 10 biggest softwood lumber trade flows from the EU to the MENA region | Q1 – Q3 2022
N.	Exporter	Importer	1–9 2021	1–9 2022	Diff. in %
incl. planed timber in 1,000 m³
1	Finland	Egypt	690	839	22
2	Sweden	Egypt	541	809	50
3	Finland	Saudi Arabia	387	357	–8
4	Finland	Israel	310	285	–8
5	Sweden	Saudi Arabia	224	261	17
6	Sweden	Morocco	225	255	14
7	Finland	Algeria	224	189	–16
8	Sweden	Algeria	190	156	–18
9	Finland	Morocco	152	141	–8
10	Austria	Saudi Arabia	86	106	24

Sources: Statistik Austria; Eurostat (in m³; Belgium, Spain: conversion of kg into m3, conversion factor 450 (product group 440712) and 550 (product groups 440711, 440719). Data on the EU-27 published by the European statistical office Eurostat were used for the analysis. Research focused on softwood lumber, including planed timber, and specifically on the product groups with the HS codes 440711, 440712, 440713, 440714, 440719. The MENA region according to the Holzkurier’s definition: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iraq, Islamic Republic of Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen. | © www.holzkurier.com

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