Exports of unprocessed timber puts the country at the bottom of the production chain and brings minimal profit to companies, European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevicius said. “When it comes to timber trade, each country chooses its place in the production chain. If logging companies want to sell raw timber abroad, then this, in my opinion, is not very reasonable. The country then finds itself at the very bottom of the chain and receives minimal profit. Therefore, naturally, selling wood products is a much more profitable business. This is the creation of jobs, and taxes to the treasury [..,” he said in an exclusive interview with the Interfax-Ukraine agency and the Green Deal portal.
At the same time, according to him, “we live in a free market economy” and, if the law allows it, companies must decide for themselves what to do with the product.
Answering the question about the possible pressure of the European Commission on Ukraine in the issue of lifting the moratorium on the export of unprocessed timber, Sinkevicius said that he was not aware of any pressure.
“I have not heard of any pressure. I have not talked about this with the minister [Minister of Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine Roman Abramovsky] and there is no pressure on my part. As I said, timber export brings the least profit, so it’s up to companies to decide. The main thing is that the process is sustainable from the point of view of the environment, the protected areas remain intact, and the forest areas after felling do not turn into agricultural areas,” he said.
As reported, on April 9, 2015, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a law banning the export of timber and lumber in unprocessed form (round timber) for ten years. At the same time, a ban on the export of timber species (except pine) was introduced from November 1, 2015, and timber species – from January 1, 2017.
In 2018, parliament limited domestic consumption of unprocessed timber to 25 billion cubic meters per year for the duration of the export of round timber outside the customs territory of the country.
In January 2020, Ukraine and the EU created an arbitration group to consider a dispute over Ukraine’s ban on the export of raw timber. At the end of 2020, it issued a decision recognizing Ukraine’s right to restrict timber exports under certain circumstances, while at the same time recognizing the need to adjust the 2015 moratorium in cooperation with the EU.
Head of the State Agency for Forest Resources Yuriy Bolokhovets, in an interview with the Interfax-Ukraine agency said that the adoption of the law on the timber market, allowing the export of unprocessed timber and sawn timber from Ukraine, is forecasted until the end of 2021.
National bank of Ukraine’s official rates as of 21/09/21
Source: National Bank of Ukraine
Official rates of banking metals from national bank as of September 21
One troy ounce=31.10 grams
Number of unemployed in ukraine and job opportunities, July 20 – July 21
Top 20 countries Ukraine has posted the highest surplus of trade in Jan-June 2021 (thsd USD)
SSC of Ukraine
Seed Corp (Cherkasy), the Ukrainian division of the American company Remington Seeds, on September 15 launched the first stage of a corn seed production plant in the village of Helmiaziv (Cherkasy region), a project worth $ 30 million and a capacity of 2.2 MW was connected to the power grid in a short time – in two months, according to the website of PJSC Cherkasyoblenergo.
“For the first time in my practice, a contract was signed, and exactly two months later, as they say, on a day-to-day basis, the 2.2 MW plant was connected to electricity. This was the result of a lot of joint work, when any approvals were carried out quickly and efficiently,” co-founder of Seed Corp Serhiy Tereschuk said.
According to the data of Cherkasyoblenergo, the construction of the first stage of production lasted 3.5 months. To provide the plant with raw materials, Seed Corp uses 3,960 hectares of irrigated land, and the company also purchased more than 20 units of special equipment for crop production. About 150 people were employed at the enterprise.
During the opening of the plant, Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Taras Dzioba noted a favorable investment climate in Cherkasy region, as investors increasingly choose Cherkasy region to open their enterprises.
“Such events really inspire me more than the opening of grain terminals. This is much more important because it makes it possible to increase supply chains, increase added value in the Ukrainian agricultural sector. This is exactly what we must work on,” the official said.
Cherkasyoblenergo specified that about 20 organizations were involved in the construction of the first stage of the project.
