In the third quarter, Finnish exports of rough-sawn and planed softwood lumber to other European countries dropped by 26% to 764,913 m³, following declines of 4% in both the first and second quarters. As a proportion of total exports, this constitutes a decrease of 15 percentage points to 40%. According to export trade statistics published by the Finnish customs authority, exports to Great Britain (147,195 m³) and France (65,665 m³) each halved vis à vis the previous year. Exports to Germany declined by 26% to 102,081 m³.
The decline in exports to European countries was offset by a 39% increase in deliveries to countries outside Europe to 1.157m m³. The proportion of exports to non-European countries thus increased by 15 percentage points to 60%. Increases were recorded in exports to North Africa (+49% to 474,433 m³), the Near and Middle East (+8% to 189,124 m³) and East Asia (+43% to 468,620 m³). Exports to Egypt (+81% to 366,993 m³) and China (+189% to 267,220 m³) increased at above-average rates. A decline, by contrast, was recorded concerning deliveries to Japan (-21% to 155,020 m³). Deliveries to the USA (12,502 m³) only amounted to around 60% of the previous year’s volume.
Accumulated over the first nine months, exports valuing €2.061bn declined by 3% in terms of volume to 6.301m m³.