US hardwood exports to Middle East reach $52.2 mln

US hardwood product exports to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region reached USD 52.2 mln during the first ten months of 2007, a rise of 32.3% from the same period in 2006 according to the United States Census Bureau.

In an effort to further maximise the increased demand for US hardwood in the region, the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) has announced its presence at the upcoming Dubai Woodshow 2008 for the third consecutive year, along with 15 hardwood exporting companies exhibiting at the American Hardwood Pavilion.

The remarkable boost in large-scale real estate projects in the region has continuously driven up the demand for wood and wood products, particularly in the case of hardwood lumber, sparking greater interest from leading American hardwood producers.

Leveraging this tremendous growth, US wood exporters shipped a total of USD 28.4 mln worth of hardwood lumber to the MENA region from January to October 2007; reflecting an increase of 24% over the same ten months in 2006. The UAE’s imports accounted for USD 13.2 mln of the total, which corresponds to a 59% increase from 2006. Of the UAE’s total hardwood imports, US hardwood lumber shipments grew by 54.2% to reach USD 8.4 mln.

“American hardwoods are becoming increasingly well-established in the Middle and with the present boom in the region, more particularly within the real estate sector, we are convinced that this is a perfect time to reinforce the position of US hardwood products to the MENA market,” said David Venables, Director – Europe, Middle East and India, AHEC.

“Through our robust involvement with the Dubai Woodshow since its inception in 2006, we have witnessed its growth as a serious forum for the wood sector in the region. We recognise the wide array of opportunities that the event has continuously created for international wood exporters, manufacturers and customers across the globe, which has been our motivation to create a large-scale networking venue for the Middle East traders and American exporters,” concluded Venables.