According to all twenty of the individual participants in the American Hardwood Pavilion, this year’s Dubai Wood Show was a great success. Once again, visitor
quality was the key and participants in the pavilion claimed to see genuine interest in their products from potential
buyers from all over the Middle East
and North Africa region, as well as from
India, Pakistan and further afield.
Following the successes of the American Hardwood Pavilion at the 2007 and 2008 events, this year’s edition, which ran from 21 to 23 April, saw the largest hardwood delegation from the United States that has ever exhibited at a trade show in the Middle East. This underlines how important the region has become to American hardwood producers in recent years.
Now, more than ever before, American hardwoods are becoming increasingly well-established in the Middle East’s hardwood market and the timing was right for the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), which organised and ran the American Hardwood Pavilion, to show its commitment to the region’s market and to strengthen ties between US exporters and MENA region importers, manufacturers and specifiers.
In fact, according to the latest data available from the United States Foreign Agricultural Service, during 2008, total direct exports of American hardwood value-added products (lumber, veneer, flooring & mouldings) to the MENA region grew by 19.6% in value, reaching $55.5 million. The principal value-added US hardwood product exported the region – hardwood lumber – saw an increase in volume of 3.7% to 48,698 m3 and an increase in value of 3.8% to $35.5 million. At the same time, shipments of both hardwood veneer and logs also grew significantly, increasing by 59.7% to $18.6 million and by 58.6% to $25.5 million (51,547 m3) respectively.
As well as running its own information stand as part of the pavilion, AHEC also hosted an evening seminar and reception on Tuesday 21 April at the Park Hyatt Hotel, Dubai. The seminar included a presentation by Rupert Oliver, Consultant to AHEC, which was designed to give MENA region importers and end users of hardwoods an insight in to the environmental credentials of American hardwoods and what the US hardwood industry is doing to address green procurement and sustainable building material standards around the world. This was of particular relevance in the UAE, where Estidama, the Emirates Green Building Council and Masdar City are all pushing for green building codes to be introduced. Following Mr Oliver’s presentation, Bob Sabistina, AHEC’s Grading Consultant, provided an introduction to the National Hardwood Lumber Association (NHLA) rules for grading American hardwood lumber. This complex, but key system, forms the basis of every transaction between US hardwood exporters and importers around the world and is fundamental to a successful and long term business partnership. |
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