Logging ban posing problems for Philippines furniture manufacturersFriday 30 Sep 2005 The Philippines stands to lose about US$217 million in annual export revenues of wood and other wood products as a result of the selective ban on logging that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) enforced in March this year. Under the ban, logging covering at least 2.3 million hectares will be allowed only in two to three regions. Caraga and Davao in Mindanao are proposed as the only areas where logging would be allowed. As a result, the country's wood imports of PHP560 million annually are expected to grow. Every year the Philippines imports some 3 million cubic metres of wood products, of which 1.5 million cubic metres go to the furniture industry. New Zealand is considered a source of timber materials for furniture manufacture.The new policy on logging is the DENR's response to the clamour of the wood industry to lift the suspension on logging except in private plantations. The Philippine Wood Producers' Association said that its members have defaulted on some $130 million, or more than PHP7 billion, worth of contracts owing to the shortage of raw materials for wood production. The group wants to lift the suspension on logging in areas not hit by flash floods and landslides in November and December 2004 to enable its members to recover billions in financial losses.Source: NZTE Market Report, September (www.marketnewzealand.com) |
Copyright 2004-2025 © Innovatek Ltd. All rights reserved. |