Plywood Dominates Japanese Imports
10/14/99
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Title: Plywood Dominates JAPANESE Imports
Source: Environment News Service, http://www.ens.lycos.com/
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: October 14, 1999
YOKOHAMA, Japan, October 14, 1999 (ENS) - The share of Japanese
imports in the total supply of woodbased panels during the first half
of 1999 reached 53.5 percent, the first time imports exceeded
domestic supply, according to the International Tropical Timber
Organization (ITTO).
The supply of woodbased panels from January through June 1999 was
5,623,915 m3, 11.2 percent higher than the same period last year.
Domestic production declined by 1.5 percent to 2,616,743 m3 while
imports jumped by 25 percent to 3,007,172 m3. However, new housing
starts in the first half of this year were only 587,953 units which
is 1.8 percent lower than the first half of last year.
The main reason imports increased this much was due to massive
imports of plywood which accounts for a 86 percent share in imports
of woodbased panels, the ITTO said.
It is reported that importers were excited about rising housing
starts and bought aggressively after a plywood inventory correction
last autumn.
Total plywood supply was 4,198,732 m3, 14 percent up and this
represented some 75 percent of total boards. Plywood's share of
imports had been declining in recent years but changed with the
sudden increase of imports.
Both domestic and imported MDF supply increased. Domestic MDF
production was 164,847 m3, or six percent up and imports were 213,551
m3, or 18 percent up.
Particleboard supply showed reasonable growth with domestic supply
being 575,437 m3, or 12.8 percent up but imports declined to 179,512
m3, 18.2 percent down. Imports of OSB and waferboard were 95,885 m3,
13.8 percent down.