Imports Bounced Back Significantly in The Second Quarter After Tumbling Around 23 %

Spanish hardwood and softwood plywood imports bounced back significantly in the second quarter after tumbling around 23 % in the first three months of 2013. As a result, imports jumped by a good 15 % in the first six months of 2013 to stand at 21,943m3. Statistics released by AEIM show that this improvement was spurred by shipments from France more than doubling to 7,835m3. France thus usurped Finland as Spain's leading supplier of softwood and hardwood plywood thanks to its strong second-quarter performance. The downturn in shipments from Finland continued in weaker form with shipments falling by 39.5 % in the first quarter and 28.8 % between January and June. Altogether, Finland supplied Spain with 3,684 m3 of plywood in the first six months. A similar trend has emerged for shipments from Russia. These deliveries were 40.2 % lower in the first quarter and 20 % lower after six months at 1,634 m3. Imports from Latvia (-4.1 %) and Chile (-14.7 %) also were lower than one year ago by mid-year.