Exports of wood products in October 2007 generally showed growth from October 2006 levels. Exports of general wood products (except pulp and paper) rose from USD332.5 million in October 2006 to USD375.7 million in October 2007, resulting in a 13% increase in value.

Pine sawnwood exports also jumped 56.8%, up from USD15.2 million in October 2006 to USD24.2 million in October 2007. The exported volume of pine sawnwood exports grew from 76,623 m³ to 120,278 m³, representing 58% growth in volume. Exports of tropical sawnwood rose 12.2%, rising from 130,510 m³ in October 2006 to 146,432 m³ in October 2007. The export value of tropical sawnwood increased 31.2% during the same period, growing to USD67.5 million in October 2007.

Exports of pine plywood rose 29.6% in volume and 72.4% in value in October 2007 when compared to October 2006. The exported volume of pine plywood in October 2006 was 95,363 m³ and 123,573 m³ in October 2007. Tropical plywood exports decreased in volume from 40,449 m³ in October 2006 to 33,278 m³ in October 2007, resulting in a 17.7% fall. There was a 6.6% reduction in the value of tropical plywood exports during the same period. Exports of wood furniture increased 9.3% in October 2007 compared to the same month of 2006. The export value of the wood furniture increased from USD70.6 million to USD77.2 million.

Furniture and wood exports strong despite weak US dollar
Brazilian furniture exports in October 2007 jumped 13.4% compared to September 2007 levels, when total sales were USD726.4 million, according to CGI Moveis and Newscomex reports. During the period January – October 2007, the furniture sector exported 3.6% more than the same period in 2006, despite the appreciation of the Brazilian real. Total sales of Brazilian furniture during this period were USD823.7 million.

The US purchased USD210.7 million worth of Brazilian furniture, corresponding to 26% of Brazilian exports and representing a 15.5% drop in sales during the first 10 months of the year. Nevertheless, the US purchased USD21 million more furniture in value terms during October 2007 than in September 2007. Spain’s purchases of Brazilian furniture jumped 49.4% and amounted to USD49.8 million in value from January to October 2007.

Wood exports in the Alta Floresta Northern Brazil wood cluster rose 30% in October 2007 (USD2.2 million) compared to September 2007. According to the Secretary of Foreign Commerce (Secex), the municipality sold USD17.7 million to foreign markets during the period from January to October 2007. The main exported product was manufactured wood, which amounted to USD12 million. Most of the products were exported to the US and amount to USD8.7 million in value and represented 49% of the purchases.