Tag Archives: china
The Export Of Processed Teak
Monday, 21 October 2013 Some boating magazines have been reporting that there will be a total ban on the export of ALL Teak from Burma (Myanmar). Bob Steber, Managing Director of Ginnacle Import Export Pte. Ltd. in Singapore who has 40+ years of experience marketing Burma Teak to the marine industry recently returned from a few days in Burma where he discussed the impending Teak ban with the relevant authorities. Contrary to the published information in various boating magazines which stated that no teak can be exported after April 2014, Bob clarifies that the export of processed Teak will not be stopped and that teak such as sawn timber, veneer, yacht decking, interior flooring and furniture parts will still be available. According to the authorities he spoke with, this ban, at its present structure is only on the export of round logs which have previously been exported in large volumes to be cut in Thailand, India (Thailand and India have both had bans on cutting of natural Teak grown in their respective countries for many years and have relied on Teak logs from Burma. Now that will be stopped) Singapore, Malaysia, China and other countries for their domestic consumption as well as further exports. Some countries and foreign timber companies are appealing that the ban be delayed or implemented slowly over the course of several years. They base their petition on the grounds that the sudden stoppage of Teak logs will have severe adverse effect on their timber industry and on the availability of Teak for the marine and furniture industries worldwide. The ban on round logs is to create more jobs internally for Burmese (Myanmar citizens) by processing to create added value within Burma while also preserving their valuable natural forest resources for future generations. As such, round log exports will be stopped 1 April 2014. Processed Teak may not be as readily available as when large quantities of logs were cut outside Burma because many sawmills in Burma have faced several years of hardship from the sanctions imposed by USA and EU governments. These sanctions are credited with helping lead to the newly formed democratic government in Burma. It’s almost certain that prices will escalate because lower volumes will be available. “We have good stock in our warehouse and with the contacts we have built over four decades working in Burma, we are confident in providing continuous supplies to our valued customers. Customers are encouraged to keep in mind that there may be a few delays here and there for the deliveries of their orders. Thus, the best way is to plan early.” Bob hopes that this timely clarification can help both industry experts and teak buyers to be well-prepared ahead of time. Ginnacle Import Export Pte. Ltd. Bob Steber +65 6 299 2535 info@teak.net Continue reading
Increased Farm Buyer Scrutiny Likely
22 Oct, 2013 JOHN KERIN THE Abbott government’s plan to increase scrutiny of foreign farm purchases looks set to pass the Senate despite a simmering internal Coalition row over Chinese investment. The Greens and Democratic Labour Party senator John Madigan have backed the Coalition’s plan to lower the threshold which triggers scrutiny of foreign farmland purchases by the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB). This gives the Coalition the numbers it needs to pass the legislation through the Senate. The Greens and Senator Madigan both want a lower threshold than the $15 million outlined by Prime Minister Tony Abbott in his pre-election foreign investment policy. Labor has so far indicated it does not support lowering the threshold. Liberals and Nationals are divided over increasing the threshold to $1 billion for China in an effort to clinch a free trade agreement. Mr Abbott says he wants to sign a free-trade deal with all three North Asian powers, China, Japan and South Korea, within 12 months. Government sources suggest the government would be better off passing the legislation before a new Senate, where views on foreign investment are much more uncertain, is sworn in on July 1 next year. Mr Abbott released a foreign investment policy ahead of the election which said the threshold of $248 million which triggers a review by the Foreign Investment Review Board would be reduced to $15 million. The policy included plans to establish a national register to keep track of foreign-owned land holdings. The policy was reaffirmed by Mr Abbott and Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce during the election campaign. The policy has largely been driven as part of a response to growing community anxiety over perceived high levels of foreign land ownership in Australia. Treasurer Joe Hockey indicated the Abbott government could increase the investment threshold to $1 billion if China was prepared to enter in to a free-trade deal with Australia. Key Nationals, including Mr Joyce, and New South Wales Senator John Williams, are staunchly opposed to doing a special deal for China. They argue profits will be lost to Beijing, rather than supporting local Australian communities. Senator Madigan said on Monday that “any investment in Australian farmland should be vetted”. “You can buy a pretty big plot of highly productive rich arable land in parts of Australia for $15 million,” he said.Alarm bells He said given at least 11.3 per cent of farmland was foreign-owned, “it should be ringing alarm bells for those in government and in opposition”. “We should not be selling out the farm to suit vested interests,” he said. Greens Leader Christine Milne said her party favoured lowering the FIRB trigger to $5 million and a tough national interest test. “We shouldn’t sell any land and water to a wholly owned government subsidiary at all and in relation to corporate purchases there should be a threshold of no more than $5 million,” she said. Senator Milne said countries were buying up productive land around the world to ensure they had a source of food when climate change-induced food shortages inevitably occurred. “It is no longer about trade, but survival,” she said. Senator Milne said the Greens would propose their own foreign investment bill when parliament resumed in November. Continue reading
Malaysia Eyes Bigger Slice Of Growing Biomass Pellets Market
PUTRAJAYA, Oct 9 (Bernama) — Malaysia aims to capture a bigger slice of the growing demand for biomass pellets in Asia driven by renewable energy policies in South Korea, Japan and China. Chief Executive Officer of Agensi Inovasi Malaysia, Mark Rozario, said the country has an advantage in terms of logistics and cost of transportation, which were usually dominated by pellet producers from US and Europe. “We want to grab this opportunity and with the establishment of the Pellet Association of Malaysia (PAM) earlier, we have united the manufacturers on issues such as quality, pricing and volumes,” he told reporters after the briefing on the progress of the National Biomass Strategy 2020 here today. Rozario said demand for biomass pellets in Asia by 2020 was estimated to be around 10 million tonnes per year, mainly driven by renewable energy policies in certain countries. “Right now, Malaysia produces about 100,000 tonnes per year and there is room for us to increase our capacity following the plan to collaborate with more plantation owners to supply the feedstocks,” he said. He said Malaysia could produce about five-seven million tonnes per year of pellets in the next five years. Rozario said PAM now has 10 members and five of them had started production of the biomass pellets. He said the agency was ready to attract more players to invest in this industry. Earlier, Malaysia biomass pellet manufacturers inked deals with companies from China and South Korea to supply biomass pellets to help meet their countries’ renewable energy targets. Detik Aturan Sdn Bhd signed the memorandum of understanding with South Korea’s BC21 Co Ltd and Global Green Synergy Sdn Bhd with Chinalight (GuangZhou) Import & Export Corp of China. — BERNAMA Continue reading
