This is a best prospect industry sector for this country. Includes a market overview and trade data.
Last Published: 7/18/2017

Overview

Eighty percent of the Republic of Congo’s 22.5 million hectare rainforest is commercially viable. The rainforest covers about 60% of the country’s total area. Timber is the Republic of Congo’s second main export after oil. Okoume, a light hardwood used for plywood, is the most commercially active (accounting for about 50 % of production), but some two dozen species can be marketed.  Crude logs make up to 90% of timber exports; the remainder is processed woods, mainly plywood. China buys 90% of Congo’s forestry sector exports.
 
 2014201520162017 (Estimated 1st semester)
Total Local Production1,6061,5561,608855
Total Exports790703724386
Total Imports____
Imports from the US
 		    
Total Market Size816853884469
Exchange Rates493.53591.42592.44 
Unit: Thousand cubic meters.
Data sources: Republic of Congo Ministry of Forestry and Ministry of Economy
total market size = (total local production + imports) - exports
 

Leading Sub-Sectors

Opportunities exist in processing harvested timber into planks, plywood, and furniture or other wood products.
 

Opportunities

International organizations including Forest Monitor are currently working with the government to reform the timber industry to improve and enforce transparency, simplify the tax code, expand responsible logging practices, and put in place a new and improved Forest Law. The current Forest Law requires all logging companies to process at least 80% of their production domestically, but compliance has been limited given the Republic of Congo’s current lack of technical capacity in this regard. Congo is also striving to increase the number of forest concessions that are FSC certified.
 

Web Resources

Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative 
Forest Transparency Initiative

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More Information

Congo Brazzaville Agribusiness Trade Development and Promotion