Malaysian Rubberwood Timber in Demand, ITTO Report Says
8/26/99
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Title: Malaysian Rubberwood Timber in Demand, ITTO Report Says
Source: Environment News Service
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: August 26, 1999
YOKOHAMA, Japan, August 26, 1999 (ENS) - Rubberwood sawn timber
producers are lobbying the Malaysian government to grant further
export quotas while the downstream value-added manufacturers are
against the proposal, according to a report by the International
Tropical Timber Organization.
The sawntimber producers maintain they are losing out due to the
lower prices offered by the domestic downstream manufacturers,
principally the furniture manufacturers, compared to what they can
get in the export market to China.
Order books for solid wooden furniture for most manufacturers are
reported to be full. This is attributed to the competitiveness of the
Malaysian manufacturers for solid wooden furniture. There has been a
significant increase in the consumption of Rubberwood sawn timber by
the domestic manufacturers over the recent months, the ITTO reports.
The main competitors to Malaysian manufacturers are China, Thailand,
Indonesia and Vietnam.
In recent weeks reports of a shortage of Rubberwood sawn timber in
China pushed up prices.