F. Padovani
Statistics on forest product exports are collected by the producing
enterprises, by forest authorities and by customs offices. Usually, the
assembly of formal statistics on trade is carried out by the customs office in
relation to the trade ministry’s central statistics office or central bank.
Trade statistics are arranged according to internationally agreed trade
classifications. Most countries use
either (i) the UN Standard International Trade Classification – SITC – (the
latest version is Revision 3, introduced in 1988 – SITC Rev. 3), or (ii) the
Customs Cooperation Council trade classification (CCCN or BTN), up to 1988.
Since 1988, many countries have shifted to the new Harmonised System (HS)
classification.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
collects international trade data on forest products according to a standard
format, which follows the SITC and HS systems of classification as well.
More information about the
World Customs Organization, the Harmonised System, all the commodities traded
internationally and their six-digit HS code number, can be found at http://www.wcoomd.org/
The HS
classification can also be viewed at: http://europa.eu.int/comm/eurostat/ramon/.
Click on “english”, then “classifications” and it can be read under
"H". More information about the United Nations Standard
International Trade Classification is available at: http://esa.un.org/unsd/cr/registry/default.asp;
access SITC Rev.3.
The
SITC classification is also located at: http://esa.un.org/unsd/cr/registry/regcst.asp?Cl=14&Lg=1
