Combined exports of softwood logs from New Zealand and Australia totalled 26.4 million cubic meters (m3) in the 2018-19 financial year. Total exports from the two countries lifted 9.5% compared to the prior year, in line with the 10.5% per annum increases recorded over the decade since 2009. When diving… Read More
BREAKING: Woodchip export volumes up 4.9% ~ Prices up 17.0%
Melbourne, AUSTRALIA: Analysis of data released today shows Australia’s woodchip exports totalled 6.705 million bone dried metric tonnes (bdmt) in 2018-19, rising 4.9% on the prior year. Prices over the year averaged AUD $213.49/bdmt on an FOB basis, or USD $152.61/bdmt. In Australian dollar terms, prices were up 17.0% compared to… Read More
Imports sweep up final millet broom manufacturer
Australia’s last millet broom factory – a two-person outfit in Tumut – is being swept up by imports, and the changing habits of Australian sweepers. Our interest was piqued when news reports announced that Australia’s last factory using stiff grass millet fibres was refusing to give in to what some… Read More
Brisbane’s Paper & Board Imports Up 16.8%
Valued at $412.2 million, imports of paper, paperboard and related fibre products were up 16.8% over the year-ended April 2019. As the infographic shows, shipments from Asia are dominant and lifted 15.9% to $279.0 million. Our view is that the most interesting element of this data – beyond the rise… Read More
Little logs get big prices
Smaller sized softwood log exports from Australia hit record average prices in March 2019. Averaging AUDFob162.45/m3, prices for softwood logs less than 15 cm diameter hit a new peak, sustaining their recent price advantage over the larger dimension logs. For export, softwood logs are recorded as larger or smaller than 15cm… Read More
Nation of readers! Books live on as directories, guides and fashion publications collapse
Imports of printed books declined 1.7% in 2018, falling to AUD470.1 million Directories and timetables fell 35.6% Paperback books valued at AUD194.2 million, down 2.1% Hardback books valued at AUD169.1 million, down 0.1% Australians remain voracious readers. Latest data showing Australia’s imports of printed material that the national love affair… Read More
China to the rescue! Has real growth returned? ~ Economics Briefing
Always a little suspect, China’s economic growth was reported at 6.4%, year-on-year in the March quarter of 2019. Growth was above expectations and was driven by a solid increase in industrial output, as well as domestic consumption, feeding into renewed hope that the driver of global economic growth has turned… Read More
Stink Bug Pain Spreads to 32 Countries for 2019-20: Update
Stink Bug infestation has spread rapidly 32 countries now on Australia’s target list for 2019-20 season 280,000+ tonnes of pulp, paper, paperboard and printed material impacted Treatment costs between AUD12/t and AUD48/t Rapid expansion of the infestation of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) in Europe and North America has… Read More
Where housing heads next… Presentation to Frame & Truss Manufacturer’s Association
Gold Coast, Australia Australia’s population growth will drive the next stage in Australia’s housing market, no matter what level of net migration Australia has, and most of the development will be in free-standing houses. Those are the main take-outs from IndustryEdge’s recent presentation to the bi-annual national Conference of the… Read More
Hardwood chip export price tops AUD230 per tonne
Monthly Woodchip Export Market Briefing: Australia’s average hardwood chip export price to China hit an all-time peak of AUDFob230.64 per bone dried metric tonne (bdmt) in January 2019. That price is a substantial 24.8% higher than in January 2018, underscoring the additional value being placed on fibre of all types… Read More