According to information released by "Regional Economy: Review of the State Bank of Russia" on the eve of September, in the Northwest and Siberia regions, the volume of wood processing products has increased due to improved logistics and growth in domestic demand.
This is partly due to subsidies that lower the cost of transporting timber to Asia by rail and sea, allowing exporters to expand shipments eastward.
At the same time, the report noted that domestic demand for wood products is supported by the real estate market and furniture production. One of the trading companies' sales of cabinet furniture in 2023 significantly exceeded last year's level.
According to the portal Kirov Business News, a wood processing plant in the Kirov region has begun recruiting employees in order to resume working in two shifts: the increase in production requires the participation of more personnel.
Businesses that were previously idle and owned by foreign owners are returning to business. In the Leningrad region, in the former factory of a popular European manufacturer, the first samples of furniture under the company's new brand were produced.
Surveys show that wood processing companies in the Northwest expect increased demand for their products in the near future.
The report mentioned that in July 2023, the production of particleboard, plywood and lumber increased in Siberia, and a train carrying 62 40-foot-long lumber containers departed from there for the first time to Asia. Previously, the plant's products were exported in trains consisting of 6-10 containers. The manufacturer has modernized its loading docks and plans to dispatch full trains regularly.
This is Priangarsky LPK - one of the largest enterprises in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, now part of the Segezha Group. In August, the first container train on the Karabra-Zobaikalsk-Qingdao (China) route left the container terminal. The total quantity of wood received by the buyer is 3000 cubic meters, and the transportation time does not exceed 7 days. The company plans to transport about five container trains per month on this route.