West African timber trade transitioning to a new norm

With only a few countries exporting significant volumes of logs the West African timber trade is transitioning to a new norm. The anticipated rise in demand from buyers in China has not yet materialised so producers have not seen an opportunity to increase prices. It has been reported that there has been a slight dip in demand for okoume for the Philippines market which will impact producers in Gabon as around 60% of okoume exports are for the Philippines market. The ban on log exports in the region has spurred a demand for mobile sawmills. It is understood a ...