Australian woodchip exports soar

(Posted on 27/11/18)

Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, Senator Richard Colbeck, welcomed the continued growth in the forestry sector as outlined in the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) report.

Minister Colbeck said the forestry sector was experiencing a strong surge in confidence and was benefitting from regulatory certainty and growing global demand for sustainable product.

"The Australian forestry industry continues to provide more jobs, exports and sustainable products for Australian and global consumers," Minister Colbeck said.

"The Coalition Government continues to enable a strong resurgence in the forest and wood products industry, with the industry growing 4.4 per cent to $8.8 billion in 2016–17.

"The value of woodchip exports, in particular, has soared to a record $1.3 billion in 2017–2018, a 6.1 per cent increase from the year before.

"Paper and paperboard exports also increased by 5.8 per cent to $962 million, driven by a massive 33.9 per cent growth in the value of newsprint exports.

"Global demand for timber and timber products is projected to quadruple by 2050 and the Coalition Government has delivered a National Forest Industries Plan to take advantage of this, which includes the planting of a billion new trees over the next decade.

"The Coalition Government will also establish Regional Forestry Hubs based in leading production zones to drive strategic development and research opportunities in regional Australia.

"20 year rolling extensions to the Regional Forestry Agreements are providing long-term certainty across the country, with the Tasmanian agreement already signed and other states set to follow.

"Exciting opportunities also exist with the recent release of the national standard for the Forest Stewardship Council certification to go with our existing Australian standard of the 'Responsible Wood' certification.

"Consumers and communities can be confident that Australia's forestry and wood products industry continues to grow as a preferred supplier of sustainable timber products both here and around the world."

Latest News

ADM and Mitsubishi form strategic agriculture supply chain alliance

ADM and Mitsubishi Corporation have signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding to form a strategic... Read more

ESL Shipping and SSAB extend cooperation in raw material transports

ESL Shipping and global steel manufacturer SSAB have agreed on a multi-year extension of the agreement... Read more

Sakatti copper project in Finland awarded ‘Strategic Project’ status by EU

Anglo American’s Sakatti copper and polymetallic project in Finland has been designated as a &... Read more

FEFAC calls for targeted transatlantic feed trade agreement

FEFAC, representing the EU compound feed and premix manufacturers, noted with deep concern the announced... Read more

Cargill inaugurates new corn milling plant in Gwalior, India

Catering to the growing demand from India’s confectionery, infant formula, and dairy sectors,... Read more

Metal Park launches storage hub in KEZAD

Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi – KEZAD Group, the largest operator of integrated and purpose... Read more

Rio Tinto to invest $1.8bn to develop Western Australia Brockman mine

Rio Tinto will invest $1.8 billion1 to develop the Brockman Syncline 1 mine project (BS1), extending... Read more

Canadian steel industry denounces tariffs on Canada

Catherine Cobden, President and CEO of the Canadian Steel Producers Association (CSPA), has released... Read more

Study: Enough scrap to meet rising U.S. demand for recycled steel

Enough domestic ferrous scrap is available for electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmakers to supply nearly... Read more

Cargill and Hafnia launch Seascale Energy

Cargill’s Ocean Transportation business and leading tanker shipping company, Hafnia, have joined... Read more