Forest products, diamonds, bauxite fish production down on 2009 first quarter

First quarter 2010 production figures published by the Private Sector Commission earlier this month points to a production decline in the forest products, bauxite and fish and increased output in sugar, rice, prawn small shrimp and gold during the first quarter of 2010 compared to the same period last year.

According to the Report “most the entire forestry sector” declined during the first quarter of last year compared with the corresponding period this year. Overall log production declined by 7 per cent from 54,074 cubic metres in the first quarter of 2009 to 50,309.5 cubic metres for the corresponding period this year. Greenheart log production fell by 8 per cent to 10,663.6 cubic metres from 11.593.8 cubic metres between January and March 2009. Production of “other logs” dipped by 6.1 per cent, from 42.480,6 cubic metres last year to 39,645.9 cubic metres during the first quarter of 2010.

Output of sugar rose by 39.4 per cent in the first quarter of 2010 compared with the first quarter of 2009, from 51,450.1 tonnes for the January – June period last year to 71.745.0 tones in the first quarter of this year. Rice production rose by 10.7 per cent to 48,882.0 tonnes in the first quarter of 2010.

Comparative figures over the same respective periods indicate that sawn wood production fell by 2.8 per cent from 13,795.4 cubic metres between Janaury and March, 2009 to 13,409.6 cubic metres during the first three months of this year. Roundwood output also fell by 14.2 per cent to 3,861.5 cubic metres from 4,501.7 cubic metres over the corresponding period last year.

Output of firewood fell by 10.0 per cent from 3,045.0 cubic metres between January and March 2009 to 2,739.3 cubic metres during the first quarter of this year.

Meanwhile, production of both charcoal and plywood rose in 2010 with output for the former increasing by a 95.1 per cent to 3,671 cubic metres from 1,856.7 cubic metres and output for the former increasing by a huge 621.4 per cent, to 4,430.6 cubic metres during the first quarter of 2010, up from 621.4 cubic metres during last year’s first quarter.

Output of fish for the first quarter of 2010 was also down during the 2010 first quarter period, dipping by 8.1 per cent from to 4,074.0 tonnes from 4,435.0 tonnes during the first quarter of last year. However, production of prawns rose by a significant 24.6 per cent, to 350.0 tonnes from 281.0 tonnes in the first quarter of last year while output of small shrimp climbed by a significant 73.0 per cent to 7,874.0 tonnes in the first quarter of this year from 4,551.0 tonnes in the corresponding period last year. Meanwhile, the gold-mining sector which won widespread national attention after production topped 300,000 ounces last year seems set to record another outstanding year in 2010.

During the first quarter of this year production rose by 11.1 per cent to 63,932.2 troy ounces, from 57,550.8 troy ounces for the corresponding period last year as higher prices and increased demand saw increased activity in the sector. At the same time diamond production fell by a significant 49.7 per cent to 23,667.0 metric carats from 47,059.3 metric carats for the first quarter last year outcome which the PSC report says reflects a shift in the mining sector to gold production.

Sluggish international demand resulting from a slow recovery from a global economic and financial crisis continues to challenge the bauxite industry and this year production of most types of bauxite fell significantly during the first quarter compared with the same period last year.

Total bauxite production fell by 27.4 per cent to 293,137.0 tonnes from 403,625.0 tonnes in the first quarter of 2009. Production of sand and crushed stone also fell during the first quarter of this year compared with the corresponding period last year.