Namibia Shipped Tonnes of Timber to Asian Markets, Mainly China

Nearly 73% of the exported timber originated from Zambia.

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): According to government data, nearly 70,000 tonnes of timber were exported from Namibia through the Port of Walvis Bay during the period from November 2018 to December 2019. Out of this, China imported nearly 73%. Other countries such as Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Germany and Greece accounted for smaller import quantities from Namibia.

Nearly 73% of the exported timber originated from Zambia. The exports also comprised of timber sourced from other countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Angola. Only 13% accounted for locally sourced timber.

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It must be noted that Namibia had declared a moratorium on transport and ban on exports of timber from its woods. However, it had allowed for transportation of timber from other countries. The government had lifted the transport and export ban in December last year, but had rejected requests to lift the ban on timber harvests.

The government had carried out thorough control and monitoring of timber harvests. Some farms are yet to be monitored. Hence there are chances for more harvested timber, sources said. Also, there are woods being held at depots, due to non-availability of space in vessels. Incidentally, no new wood has been harvested since the introduction of the ban in November 2018.

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