The Asian furniture industry: the reality behind the statistics

Abstract

A reliable series of statistics is the basis for any analysis within the forest industry sector. A dependable set of statistics is equally important for short-term developmental measures as well as long-term forecasting of the forest industry. The fact that international trade in wood products is increasingly interdependent on trading partners suggests that trade analysis can no longer rely on established national statistics, but need to be framed within the context of worldwide statistics. This article reflects the distortion in trade data, when analysis is simply based on national statistics, without any reference to the international trade statistics. Such trade data are often the source of inappropriate trade and industrial policies that explain the slow growth of the value-added wood products manufacturing sectors throughout Southeast Asia.