Republic of Belarus seeks timber industry investment to boost processing capacity in line with plan to stop exporting round timber by 2015; 'serious' foreign investors mostly want to produce briquettes and woodchips, says forestry minister

Audrey Dixon

LOS ANGELES , September 11, 2012 (Industry Intelligence Inc.) –

The Republic of Belarus wants inventors interested in increasing wood processing capacity in the country, according to the Belarusian Forestry Minister Mikhail Amelyanovich, reported Belarusian Telegraph Agency BelTA on Sept. 11.

The country plans to halt its exports of round timber by 2015, and timber procurement could be entirely managed by the Forestry Ministry if the decree on sales of finished round timber is signed.

More joint ventures will be needed and the country’s forestry industry is “open for all investors,” said Mikhail Amelyanovich, noting that all offers will be considered but Belarus should “benefit from this cooperation,” BelTA reported.

“Foreign investors are very serious about us,” said Mikhail Amelyanovich. Most of the interest has come from companies in Poland, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and other countries that are interested in producing firewood, such as briquettes and woodchips, he said.

Belarus is in discussions with three companies on projects that are expected to be approved in the near-term, according to the minister. Belarus has six such companies operating with foreign investment now. One of these produces sawn timber and the other five do logging.

Scandinavian investors have inquired about setting up joint ventures, which have proven successful in using the technologies to generate profits in Scandinavia, Mikhail Amelyanovich said, reported BelTA.

The primary source of this article is Belarusian Telegraph Agency, Minsk, Republic of Belarus, on Sept. 11, 2012.

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