Papua New Guinea log exports to China surge
Papua New Guinea log exports to China surge
R. Butler, mongabay.com
December 19, 2006
Papua New Guinea (PNG) log exports surged in October according to the International Tropical Timber Organization’s (ITTO) Tropical Timber Market Report.
Officially, PNG’s log exports soared to 270,161 cubic meters in October 2006, up 31 percent from September and 21 percent from October. 82 percent of the exports went to China, followed by Japan (8 percent), Vietnam (3.4 percent) and Korea (3.4 percent).
ITTO said that total log exports from natural forests amounted to 2.53 million cubic meters in the period from November 2005 to October 2006.
The ITTO numbers represent only official figures. Environmental groups say that much of the logging that occurs in PNG is illegal, a claim that is disputed by the government.
China is by far the world’s largest importer of tropical logs according to the ITTO.
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