“Small and medium-sized business in the timber industry needs to shift attention from external to internal market, – the Chairman of Committee TPP of the Russian Federation Sergey Alekseev. – When exporting, of course, the price of goods higher, but the domestic market is higher demand. The pandemic caused people to change my views on life, their own health, so the coming boom in demand for wooden housing construction. In the near future people will not invest millions of dollars in huge tacky cottages. The demand will be for environmentally friendly houses from logs and beams ranging from 80 to 150 square meters. And this is a good incentive for development of small and medium business in the forest regions.”
Deputy head of Rosleskhoz Mikhail Klinov believes that the forest industry this year will not be successful. Forest fires in the North and far East of the country is not only fraught with the loss of the forest Fund, but also led to the suspension of the activities of the loggers. Including small and medium enterprises.
Pandemic and the trade war between the US and China has caused a fall in demand and prices on the world market for the products of timber processing, including paper and timber of high value added. And since the Russian industry is mostly focused on export prospects are best.
this timber industry is among the strategic, it involves hundreds of thousands of people, mostly in rural areas, where tight with other work. But in recent years the industry has accumulated many problems, according to Sergey Alexeev. Including the need to free the trunks from the bark in the fight against insect pests, not only in the long-haul, but the plot to the nearest sawmill. Changes in logistics, pandemic, including closing the land borders with China, led to additional costs.
“Over the past 15 years, the Forest code was made more than 60 changes, – said Mr. Alexeev. – The changes will still be in connection with the amendments to the development Strategy of the forestry sector until 2030. The frequency of innovation is not conducive to calm and stable the complex, especially small business, which is now the hardest. He is not able through its own funds to build forest roads, therefore, cannot take place. And in the winter it is not always possible to have time to create a stock of raw materials for the entire year, and the difference between “winter” and “summer” forest specialist no need to explain. We believe that the small business segment of the timber industry, especially in the context of a pandemic, the necessary government support.”
the role of SMEs in forest management cannot be overemphasized. So, in 2019, according to the Ministry of natural resources, half of all harvested wood is 175 million cubic meters fell on small and medium-sized tenants of the plots. In the budgets of the armed forces��levels have been 5.7 billion rubles, including 4.6 billion in the coffers of the regions.
“the Ministry of natural resources recommended that the administrations of constituent entities of the Russian Federation to provide small and medium businesses deferral of rental payments in the portion exceeding minimum rent. But to ensure healthy competition has prepared a draft law on holding forest auctions in the electronic form,” – said the Director of the Department of state policy and regulation in forest resources and wildlife the Ministry of natural resources Andrew Grebennikov. There is another problem that must be addressed, says Sergey Alekseev – to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers for woodworking machinery.
Now it is mostly foreign. Therefore, the forest industry is heavily dependent on the international situation, although it is logical that Russia itself has dictated the terms in the global wood market.
“Forestry should be considered as a separate independent industry, able to generate profits not only by renting forest resource rent for timber companies, but also due to the good development of the market for forest goods and services. Therefore it is necessary to consider not only changes in the strategy of forest sector development to 2030 and development strategy of forestry with the formation of goals and objectives market forest services,” said state Secretary, Deputy head of the Ministry of industry and trade of the Russian Federation Viktor Evtukhov.
Now on the forest resources of our country is in second place after Brazil and two times higher than the United States, while the contribution of the forest sector in GDP is 10 times lower than the US and 1.5 times lower than Brazil. Russia accounts for about 3 percent of the total output of world forestry, while the share of Finland is 8.4, Sweden – 10,1, USA – 12,7, Canada 17.3%, reported the Ministry of industry and trade.
