Total value of American hardwood lumber and veneer exported to India was US$3.685 million in the first six months of this year. Total exports of US hardwood lumber and veneer to India for the first half of 2021 reached US$3.685million, according to the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC). Source: Timberbiz
Statistics compiled from the latest data released by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) revealed that US hardwood lumber exports to India reached US$2.019 million while US hardwood veneer exports were valued at US$1.666 million.
A closer look at the numbers reveal that total hardwood lumber shipped from the United States to India increased by 228% in value to US$2.019 million (up from US$615,000) and by 218% in volume to 3,322 cubic meters (up from 1,044 cubic meters).
The top five American hardwood species exported were hickory (US$715 ,000 and 1,172 m3), ash (US$437,000 and 642m3), white oak (US$335 ,000 and 589 m3), red alder (US$252 ,000 and 455 m3), and red oak (US$223 ,000 and 381 m3).
“Significant increases were seen in both value and volume of exports across all species, which shows that 2020 was a temporary dip in an otherwise upward trend. Despite global lumber shortages,uncertainty in freight rates and availability of containers, and generally increasing prices across all species, exports of both US hardwood lumber and veneer to India were up year-on-year, while exports of logs continued their downward spiral, in line with the general shift seen in recent years by Indian buyers towards importing value-added kiln-dried lumber instead of logs,” said Roderick Wiles, AHEC Regional Director.
AHEC expects demand for American hardwoods in India to at least return to the record levels seen in 2019 this year. However, the market environment that developed through the pandemic and has pushed prices ever upwards worldwide is still with us, according to AHEC.
