Tokyo, May 31 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s self-sufficiency rate for lumber in 2020 rose 4.0 percentage points from the previous year to 41.8 pct, topping 40 pct for the first time in 48 years, the Japanese government said Tuesday.

The growth reflected a rise in supplies of domestically produced lumber in recent years and a fall in housing starts due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the government said in its fiscal 2021 report on forest and forestry in Japan, which was adopted at a cabinet meeting.

Overall demand for lumber in 2020 totaled 74.44 million cubic meters, while domestic lumber supplies came to 31.15 million cubic meters.

The country’s self-sufficiency rate for lumber fell to 18.8 pct in 2002 due to domestic lumber supply shortages and a rise in lumber imports.

In recent years, supplies of domestic lumber have been on the rise, as planted forests are coming into use, and demand for wood chips is growing for use in biomass power generation.

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