According to EUWID, in 2017, Swedish soft-wood-timber and planed-product producers raised their exports slightly by one percent against the year before to around 13.1m m³. At roughly 27bn SEK, the total value of the exports was nine percent higher than a year earlier, setting a record figure. According to the provisional figures published by the Swedish Forest Industries Federation (Skogsindustrierna), by far the highest rate of growth was recorded for exports to Asia at +14 percent to 2.05m m³. At 919,300 m³, exports to China including Hong Kong rose by 18 percent. Exports to Japan were eight percent up at 840,900 m³.
The highest percentage rate of growth was recorded for exports to North America, primarily to the USA, at +61 percent to 410,300 m³. Exports to buyers in Europe were raised only slightly by two percent to 7.97m m³. The UK, traditionally the main recipient within Europe, took delivery of a total of 2.58m m³, a reduction of 5 percent against the year before.
The persistently difficult market conditions in North Africa and the Middle East were the main factor responsible for the reduction in Sweden’s exports to these regions last year. In spite of an increase of 13 percent in deliveries to Egypt to 1.29m m³, exports to Africa fell by eight percent to 2.16m m³.
