China's Birch Log Import Volume Declines

According to Chinese customs statistics, the import volume of birch logs has sharply decreased in the first eight months. Data shows that the import volume is 971231 Cubic meters, a year-on-year decrease of 33%; The value is 130.73 million US dollars, a year-on-year decrease of 36%; The average CIF price of birch logs is 135 US dollars per cubic meter, a year-on-year decrease 5%.

The largest suppliers of Chinese birch log imports are Russia and Latvia, which account for 99.85% of China's birch log imports.

Data shows that in the first eight months, 94.94% of China's birch logs were imported from Russia, 4.95% from Latvia, and the remaining portion was imported from Estonia, the United States, Belgium, and Canada.

The main data is as follows:

The imported birch logs from Russia amounted to 922131 cubic meters, worth 118.6 million US dollars, a year-on-year decrease of 27% in quantity and 28% in value; The CIF price is 129 US dollars per cubic meter, a decrease of 1%.

The imported birch logs from Latvia amounted to 48064 cubic meters, valued at 11.7 million US dollars, a year-on-year decrease of 73% in quantity and 69% in value; The CIF price is 243 US dollars per cubic meter, an increase of 14%.

Birch sawn timber imports increase

Compared with the import of logs, the import of birch sawn timber increased in the first eight months, reaching 475863 cubic meters, valued at 98.79 million US dollars, with a year-on-year increase of 10% in quantity and 3% in value; The average CIF price of birch sawn timber is 208 yuan/cubic meter, a year-on-year decrease of 6%.

It is worth mentioning that the main reason for the changes in birch import data in the first eight months is the increase in export tax rates for Russian birch logs.

The increase in log tax rates not only puts pressure on Chinese enterprises to import logs, but also encourages them to process birch logs into sawn timber, resulting in a decline in logs and an increase in sawn timber.