Myanmar will ban the export of logs starting next week to reduce deforestation and boost its wood-based industry by exporting only value-added products.
A statement from the state Myanma Timber Enterprise seen Tuesday said the Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry will prohibit the export of logs starting April 1.
According to the most recent available official data, Myanmar's forest cover shrank from 57.9 per cent of its total land area in 1990 to 47.6 per cent in 2005.
The sale of teak and hardwood logs has climbed since a nominally civilian government succeeded military rule in 2011 and liberalized the economy.
The government says it earned about USD 569 million from export of 1.24 million cubic ton of wood in 2012-2013 fiscal year, with China, India and Thailand as major buyers. Chinese demand for wood has been driven by its prosperity and growth as a global manufacturer.
China banned the felling of its own old-growth trees in 1998, fuelling the illegally export of wood from Myanmar to China, especially high-end varieties such as rosewood and teak. However, efforts in recent years to curb the smuggling are believed to have succeeded in reducing the volume.
