The region total consumption of plywood rose from about 11 million m3 in 1982 to 19 million in 1992, an increase of 67% (Table 40), meanwhile, its world share also increased from 30% to 41%, in concert with fast demographic and economic growth. The largest consumers of plywood are Japan, China, the Republic of Korea and Indonesia with 9.2, 4.6, 1.8 and 1.5 million m3, respectively. China experienced the fastest growth during the last three decades. Between 1982 and 1992, China's plywood consumption increased by nearly 4 million m3.
Table 40. Consumption of plywood, in thousand m3, 1962-1992.
|
Country |
1962 |
1972 |
1982 |
1992 |
|
Australia |
114 |
146 |
168 |
169 |
|
Bangladesh |
0 |
7 |
1 |
1 |
|
Bhutan |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
|
Cambodia |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
China |
75 |
389 |
1023 |
4642 |
|
Fiji |
0 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
|
French Polynesia |
1 |
4 |
7 |
9 |
|
Hong Kong |
9 |
75 |
177 |
205 |
|
India |
79 |
124 |
294 |
354 |
|
Indonesia |
7 |
9 |
1256 |
1465 |
|
Japan |
1475 |
7496 |
6686 |
9191 |
|
Korea Dem People's Rep |
|
|
|
|
|
Korea Rep |
66 |
0 |
781 |
1840 |
|
Laos |
0 |
2 |
5 |
10 |
|
Macau |
0 |
9 |
6 |
27 |
|
Malaysia |
20 |
68 |
417 |
438 |
|
Myanmar |
1 |
12 |
15 |
15 |
|
Nepal |
|
|
|
|
|
New Caledonia |
1 |
0 |
3 |
4 |
|
New Zealand |
24 |
48 |
33 |
50 |
|
Pakistan |
6 |
5 |
5 |
1 |
|
Papua New Guinea |
2 |
8 |
3 |
13 |
|
Philippines |
52 |
415 |
173 |
162 |
|
Samoa |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
Singapore |
0 |
151 |
132 |
166 |
|
Solomon Islands |
0 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
|
Sri Lanka |
40 |
25 |
16 |
18 |
|
Thailand |
17 |
37 |
160 |
208 |
|
Tonga |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Vanuatu |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Viet Nam |
3 |
7 |
23 |
38 |
|
Asia Pacific |
1993 |
9035 |
11392 |
19035 |
|
World |
18341 |
40552 |
38443 |
46635 |
|
Share |
11% |
22% |
30% |
41% |
Production in most countries has risen with consumption. While the region's share was 14% in 1962, by 1992 the Asia-Pacific contributed more than half of the world's total production of plywood (Table 41). The largest producers are currently Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and China. Of them, Indonesia is the world's leading producer of hardwood plywood. Since 1980, as a result of tightening log supplies and export taxes on sawnwood, Indonesia's plywood production has expanded fast and become the country's most important wood industry. By 1992, plywood production in Indonesia had reached 10 million cubic meters, accounting for more than 40% of the regions' total and 20% of the world's. Instead, plywood production in Japan and the Republic Korea declined steadily during 1980s, and imports rose.
Table 41. Production of plywood, in thousand m3, 1962-1992.
|
Country |
1962 |
1972 |
1982 |
1992 |
|
Australia |
100 |
103 |
89 |
107 |
|
Bangladesh |
0 |
7 |
1 |
1 |
|
Bhutan |
0 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
|
Cambodia |
1 |
7 |
2 |
2 |
|
China |
169 |
1336 |
1634 |
2078 |
|
Fiji |
0 |
0 |
4 |
6 |
|
French Polynesia |
|
|
|
|
|
Hong Kong |
0 |
12 |
12 |
12 |
|
India |
79 |
130 |
300 |
360 |
|
Indonesia |
3 |
4 |
2487 |
10100 |
|
Japan |
1833 |
7748 |
6742 |
5954 |
|
Korea Dem People's Rep |
|
|
|
|
|
Korea Rep |
84 |
1195 |
1423 |
948 |
|
Laos |
0 |
0 |
5 |
10 |
|
Macau |
|
|
|
|
|
Malaysia |
10 |
330 |
787 |
2100 |
|
Myanmar |
1 |
12 |
15 |
15 |
|
Nepal |
|
|
|
|
|
New Caledonia |
|
|
|
|
|
New Zealand |
23 |
53 |
59 |
77 |
|
Pakistan |
3 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
Papua New Guinea |
14 |
16 |
9 |
13 |
|
Philippines |
136 |
732 |
422 |
247 |
|
Samoa |
|
|
|
|
|
Singapore |
0 |
327 |
460 |
280 |
|
Solomon Islands |
|
|
|
|
|
Sri Lanka |
8 |
13 |
10 |
7 |
|
Thailand |
16 |
56 |
160 |
170 |
|
Tonga |
|
|
|
|
|
Vanuatu |
|
|
|
|
|
Viet Nam |
1 |
7 |
23 |
37 |
|
Asia Pacific |
2491 |
12416 |
15434 |
22529 |
|
World |
18256 |
40237 |
38905 |
47950 |
|
Share |
14% |
31% |
40% |
51% |
The trends in plywood imports and exports are shown in Tables 42 and 43. The major importers are Japan with 3.3 million m3, China with 2.8, the Republic of Korea and Hong Kong with 1, and Singapore with 0.6 million m3. Imports of these five countries or territories account for nearly 98% of all Asia-Pacific imports, which increased from 1 to 8.4 million m3 between 1982 and 1992. Among all countries, China had the fastest growth in imports of plywood. The bulk of China's imports is directed to the expanding construction industry in the southern provinces (Jonhson 1995).
The Asia-Pacific region has been the main source of world plywood exports since the 1970s. It accounted for three-fourth of the world's total in 1992, at 12 million m3. Of that, Indonesia's and Malaysia's shares were 73% and 14%, respectively. In Indonesia, plywood is an export product, for less than 15% of it is consumed locally. Malaysia is Indonesia's major competitor in plywood trade. Exports from Malaysia grew by almost 50% in 1992, to 1.7 million m3. China's exports of plywood increased during the 1960s and 1970s, and peaked in 1978 at 1.2 million cubic meters. But since, China's exports have declined significantly. Japan's exports also fell since 1970s, due to the rapid expansion of the domestic market.
Table 42. Imports of plywood, in thousand m3, 1962-1992.
|
Country |
1962 |
1972 |
1982 |
1992 |
|
Australia |
14 |
45 |
81 |
65 |
|
Bangladesh |
|
|
|
|
|
Bhutan |
|
|
|
|
|
Cambodia |
|
|
|
|
|
China |
0 |
4 |
211 |
2768 |
|
Fiji |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
|
French Polynesia |
1 |
4 |
7 |
9 |
|
Hong Kong |
11 |
64 |
167 |
637 |
|
India |
0 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
|
Indonesia |
4 |
5 |
1 |
0 |
|
Japan |
0 |
255 |
38 |
3278 |
|
Korea Dem People's Rep |
|
|
|
|
|
Korea Rep |
0 |
0 |
0 |
953 |
|
Laos |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
|
Macau |
0 |
2 |
6 |
33 |
|
Malaysia |
13 |
9 |
32 |
8 |
|
Myanmar |
|
|
|
|
|
Nepal |
|
|
|
|
|
New Caledonia |
1 |
0 |
3 |
4 |
|
New Zealand |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
|
Pakistan |
3 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
|
Papua New Guinea |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Philippines |
|
|
|
|
|
Samoa |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
Singapore |
0 |
102 |
283 |
547 |
|
Solomon Islands |
0 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
|
Sri Lanka |
32 |
12 |
6 |
11 |
|
Thailand |
1 |
0 |
2 |
41 |
|
Tonga |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Vanuatu |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Viet Nam |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Asia Pacific |
83 |
512 |
845 |
8366 |
|
World |
1784 |
6280 |
6399 |
15982 |
|
Share |
5% |
8% |
13% |
52% |
Table 44 shows the direction of trade in plywood in 1992. There are some differences between FAO data and UN Statistics. The latter indicate that China has replaced Japan as the world's leading importer of plywood, most trade activity has been intra-regional. The imports from major countries within the region accounted for 96% of total imports, while exports from within represented two-third of total exports. The main importers of plywood from outside the Asia-Pacific are the United States and the European Union, with about 1 million m3 each.
According to FAO Yearbook data (Table 43), Hong Kong exported 0.4 million cubic meters of plywood, but the data from UN Statistics (Table 44) did not indicate Hong Kong as a main exporter in the region. This could be because Hong Kong re-exported important amount of its imports, mostly to China (Jaakko Poyry, 1992).
Table 43. Exports of plywood, in thousand m3,1962-1992.
|
Country |
1962 |
1972 |
1982 |
1992 |
|
Australia |
0 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
|
Bangladesh |
|
|
|
|
|
Bhutan |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
Cambodia |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
China |
94 |
951 |
822 |
204 |
|
Fiji |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
|
French Polynesia |
|
|
|
|
|
Hong Kong |
2 |
1 |
2 |
444 |
|
India |
0 |
6 |
6 |
13 |
|
Indonesia |
0 |
0 |
1232 |
8635 |
|
Japan |
358 |
507 |
94 |
41 |
|
Korea Dem People's Rep |
|
|
|
|
|
Korea Rep |
18 |
1195 |
642 |
61 |
|
Laos |
|
|
|
|
|
Macau |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
|
Malaysia |
3 |
271 |
402 |
1670 |
|
Myanmar |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Nepal |
|
|
|
|
|
New Caledonia |
|
|
|
|
|
New Zealand |
0 |
6 |
28 |
29 |
|
Pakistan |
|
|
|
|
|
Papua New Guinea |
12 |
9 |
6 |
0 |
|
Philippines |
84 |
317 |
249 |
85 |
|
Samoa |
|
|
|
|
|
Singapore |
0 |
278 |
611 |
661 |
|
Solomon Islands |
|
|
|
|
|
Sri Lanka |
|
|
|
|
|
Thailand |
0 |
19 |
2 |
3 |
|
Tonga |
|
|
|
|
|
Vanuatu |
|
|
|
|
|
Viet Nam |
|
|
|
|
|
Asia Pacific |
571 |
3563 |
4100 |
11860 |
|
World |
1699 |
5965 |
6861 |
16076 |
|
Share |
34% |
60% |
60% |
74% |
Table 44. Direction of trade in plywood, in thousand m3, 1992.
