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After the rainy season in April, Cameroon has ushered in the harvest season. In terms of transportation, roads and railways are unobstructed, and there are no transportation problems for the time being.

As for the port, it is reported that due to the early rainy season and the lack of containers, the port inventory is constantly overstocked, the old inventory is buried by the newly arrived wood, and the newly arrived wood is quickly transported away, resulting in the serious blockage of wood in Douala port.

As one of the largest seaports in Cameroon, Douala port is the main international trade center of Cameroon and plays an important role in the growth of timber export business in Cameroon and the African continent.

The timber export of Douala port is used for most of the country's Global trade, and most timber suppliers in Cameroon and cities in surrounding countries export timber through Douala port.

In addition, Kribi port, another important port in Cameroon, has congestion recently. As of May 23, 2022, the port has been delayed for more than 6 days, with an average delay of 4.78 days.

Walnut and Phoebe became substitutes

Uncontrolled log exports are weakening the economies of many African countries, resulting in huge loss of profits every year. Like Gabon, Cameroon is considering a series of new measures to deal with this phenomenon.

Cameroonian government partner International Forestry Research Center (CIFOR) revealed that the country's log export volume peaked in 2021, exceeding 800000 cubic meters. The statistics of Cameroon's timber sector come from some government departments, private enterprises and national databases, which are the basis of Cameroon's investment.

CIFOR data also shows that because the amount of timber transported by operators to the international market is only slightly higher than 700000 cubic meters, logs dominate Cameroon's timber exports in 2021. However, this trend may be reversed from 2022.

In fact, in order to prevent the export of logs before the ban of CEMAC (Cameroon, Congo, Chad, Gabon, Central African Republic and Equatorial Guinea) will enter into force in January 2023, Cameroon increased the export tax rate applicable to this kind of timber by 15% in its 2022 finance law. As a result, this ratio has increased from 35% to 50%, while equipment used for local wood processing is duty-free.

According to the report, due to the provisions of the Convention on international trade in endangered species, the price of West African sandalwood / balsam flower is declining, and buyers in the domestic market are now looking for alternative species, such as walnut and Phoebe, which are popular as decorative furniture raw materials.

According to the manufacturer's report, due to China's regular demand, the current order with Cameroon is stable and is expected to last for two months.