The competitive position of the finnish sawmill industry in the 1920s and 1930s

Abstract

The days of glory of the Finnish sawn timber exporters lasted from the beginning of the twentieth century to the early 1930s. During this period the sawmill industry was unquestionable the major industrial sector in the country, measured by the gross value of its output. In foreign trade, sawn timber accounted for about 40% of Finland's total exports. In some years nearly half of the total export revenue was earned by this sector alone. At the end of the 1970s and the beginning of the 1980s, sawn timber accounted for only 7-8 % of exports and the sawmill industry had slipped far from the top, even measured by total output value.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jorma Ahvenainen

Jorma Ahvenainen, born 1930, Ph. D. (Helsinki) 1963. Associate Professor of Economic History at the University of Jyväskylä.