Ukrainian wood should work for the domestic economy – create jobs, added value and increase exports. That is why the state, together with business, is looking for solutions for a balance between access to raw materials, volumes of procurement and environmental requirements.
This was discussed during a meeting in the Transcarpathian region with the participation of the Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine Taras Vysotsky (online format), representatives of the industry and specialized associations. The focus is on providing processors with raw materials, limiting the export of unprocessed wood and preparing the Industry Development Strategy until 2030.
The state is acting in several directions: it is restricting the export of roundwood, working to increase harvesting within the framework of eco-standards, launching support for modernization and finalizing the sectoral strategy. In particular, the Government is already implementing a number of steps to stabilize the industry and bring it closer to EU standards:
– The operational plan for the implementation of the State Forest Management Strategy until 2035 has been updated;
– A pilot project to implement the EU regulation on preventing deforestation (EUDR) has been launched;
– The validity of forest management materials for the continuous operation of forest farms has been extended;
– The management reform has been simplified through the transformation of the state enterprise “Forests of Ukraine”;
– The issue of providing the domestic market with timber has been resolved;
– An electronic logging ticket with geolocation is being introduced.
At the same time, the strategy provides for an increase in harvesting and the development of deep processing.
“Ukrainian wood must work in the Ukrainian economy. These are jobs, taxes, export revenue and stronger enterprises. Our task is to create conditions under which business will have predictable access to raw materials and will be able to invest in deeper processing,” Taras Vysotsky emphasized.
Following the meeting, the Ministry of Economy will process the proposals of market participants and form a list of specific steps to support the woodworking and furniture industries. These are solutions that should help enterprises better plan production, invest in modernization, expand processing within the country and strengthen Ukraine’s positions in foreign markets. (Economy Ministry)