world news - 17.09.2009
IKEA to set up woodworking facility in Belarus
The company will be located near the town of Borisov. The
annual timber processing will make up approximately 600,000 cubic
meters. According to the minister, it will be one of the largest
investment projects over the recent years. The Forestry Ministry of
Belarus will supply the company with raw material. The new facility
will be set up jointly with the Bellesbumprom Concern.
Forestry companies are implementing several large investment
projects in concert with foreign firms engaged in timber high-level
processing. “We are considering a range of projects to develop timber
purchasing, the use of timber in small-scale power generation and
primary processing. Belarus actively cooperates with investors from the
Baltic region, especially, with Lithuania,” Piotr Semashko said. The
Belarusian companies that take part in these projects are to secure
regular supplies of the raw material of high quality and at
economically sound prices, the minister stressed.
Joint ventures are currently set up in the Grodno, Ostrovets,
Begoml, Surazh forestries. Preliminary negotiations were held to build
joint ventures in the Liozno and Borisov forestries.
Cooperation with Sweden is also vibrant. For the most part
these investment projects are related to the production of chip fuel,
briquettes and pellets. The biggest investment project will be
implemented in the Vitebsk oblast. It would be a wood pellet facility
with the total capacity of six tons per hour.
There are two pellet facilities in Belarus with a capacity of
one ton of products per hour – in the Zhitkovichi and Stolbtsy
forestries. According to the marketing research, the demand for pellets
in Europe is increasing, hence the sales will be stable, Piotr Semashko
said. Prices for pellets secure good profitability and high returns, he
added.
See also:
- — Exports of round timber in Latvia down by 36.5% this year
- — Russian Timber Price Soars in Suifenhe Checkpoint
- — Germany, 2009: Woodworking Machinery Industry Down 35-45%
- — Indonesia set for new timber certification system
- — RF timber export curbs not aimed to infringe neighbours interests.
