The state suffered losses in the amount of more than UAH 1 billion due to illegal deforestation in Ukraine, Head of the State Forest Resources Agency Andriy Zablotsky has said.
“State losses [from illegal logging] amount to more than UAH 1 billion. A significant part of the market is in the shadow, and electronic accounting aims to remove this powerful market from the shadow,” he said during a meeting with the prime minister and representatives of the territorial bodies of the State Forest Agency in Kyiv.
According to Zablotsky, it is planned to introduce criminal liability for the sale of trees without tags.
In addition, in accordance with the goals of the government, it is planned to increase the forest cover of Ukraine by 20%.
The agency is developing a bill on forest inventory for its further use on the basis of new rules.
Zablotsky also noted that the agency plans to raise the question before the government and the Verkhovna Rada about raising state funding, which today makes up 5% of the demand and is critical in certain issues.
As reported, Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Honcharuk instructed the head of the State Forest Agency as soon as possible to ensure the operation of online sites in the wood turnover market and to launch the electronic centralized accounting of wood by February 1, 2020.
