Nippindo's monopoly weakens

Nippindo's monopoly weakens

OSAKA, Japan (Dow Jones): Recent political and economic
changes in Indonesia are weakening Nippindo Co.'s virtual
monopoly on plywood imports from the Southeast Asian country, the
Nihon Keizai Shimbun said in its yesterday morning edition.

An increasing number of traders are buying plywood directly
from local companies, and these now account for 10-20 percent of
total imports, industry observers said.

The Osaka-based joint venture of Japanese and Indonesian
concerns had previously enjoyed exclusive access to Indonesian
plywood imports. It still plans to import 150,000-200,000 cu.
meters a month for the foreseeable future, a Nippindo official
said.