Views: 219 Author: SENHEDA WOOD Publish Time: 2025-10-11 Origin: Site
Gabon’s timber market in September continued to face weak demand, with buyers largely absent and low willingness to purchase. To comply with the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR), the traceability system remains strictly enforced—all sawn timber bundles must undergo compliance inspections before export to verify legal sourcing. Order flow remains sluggish due to high inventory levels in key target markets: demand from China is extremely weak, while European orders are mostly on an on-demand basis with no large-volume contracts.
Sawmills continue to be disrupted by power outages. Although power stability has improved slightly with the deployment of a Turkish power ship, frequent blackouts still cause significant production interruptions, particularly for inland sawmills that rely on the traditional power grid (rather than temporary offshore power sources).
Persistent heavy rains in September caused production delays and a decline in output—flooding in some factory areas forced moisture-sensitive processing equipment to shut down temporarily, leading to an estimated 15-20% month-on-month drop in production. Additionally, ahead of Cameroon’s upcoming presidential election, policy uncertainty and security precautions have prompted most sawmills to temporarily shut down; over half of Chinese-owned sawmills remain closed, with a gradual resumption of operations expected by the end of October.
Port transportation and logistics operations remain smooth, with sufficient container supply and no reports of empty container shortages. However, weak demand from China has raised concerns among local timber traders. In contrast, the Middle East market remains stable, with steady demand for high-density species such as IROKO (Greenheart), SAPPELLY, and AZOBE (used in high-end construction and hospitality projects). Low-density timber species, however, have seen flat demand in the Middle East. Meanwhile, the upcoming implementation of the updated EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) has sparked anxiety among timber and agricultural operators, as the stricter traceability and certification requirements will create additional barriers for Cameroon’s timber exports to Europe.
Despite rain-related disruptions to production, logging activities in September remained at normal levels. Heavy rainfall damaged red dirt roads, slowing down truck transportation—though temporary repairs and adjusted scheduling helped maintain basic transport efficiency, with no major cargo backlogs reported. The key transport route to the Port of Douala remains operational, and port operations are stable, with smooth loading and shipping processes. Container supply is currently sufficient, and overall export flows have not been severely disrupted, aside from minor weather-related delays.
Demand for Okoume from Asian markets (including China, the Philippines, and the Middle East) has continued to weaken, putting pressure on local sawmills. To offset this, mills have turned to Southern Europe (notably Portugal and Italy) for small, short-term contracts—average order sizes are down approximately 30% year-on-year. Conversely, demand for Tali from Vietnam remains robust, providing a critical source of order volume for some mills.
In September, Ghana officially announced the establishment of the Timber Certification Board (TCB), a key initiative aimed at enhancing transparency, accountability, and credibility in the country’s timber industry. The board’s core mandate is to ensure all timber products meet both domestic standards and international requirements—primarily those of the EU (e.g., EUTR) and global certification schemes like FSC.
Composed of representatives from Ghana’s Forestry Commission, industry associations, third-party certification bodies, and academic experts, the TCB will implement three key measures: 1) Develop a unified national timber traceability database to track the entire supply chain from logging permit approval to export; 2) Provide training and technical support to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) meet international certification standards; 3) Conduct regular audits to enforce compliance and address gaps in sourcing documentation.
This reform is expected to reduce concerns about the legality of Ghanaian timber in global markets and enhance the competitiveness of its products in high-standard markets like Europe and North America, laying the groundwork for long-term export growth.
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