MINSK, 24 February (BelTA) – The Belarusian Universal Commodity Exchange (BUCE) has discussed prospects of exchange trade for exporting Belarusian sawn timber to France with top managers of the French timber import company Bois Import SA, BelTA has learned.
The Bois Import SA representative Franck Vangendt noted that the company has been buying sawn timber from Baltic states for quite some time, but the coronavirus pandemic has forced the company to seek alternative markets. Belarus can be one of such markets. “When we found out that a considerable amount of the sawn timber France gets from the Baltic states is in practice produced in Belarus, we decided to take a closer look at your market and try buying the products we need directly from the producers. Certainly, exchange trade is a totally new tool for us and we may need some time to master it. However, the opportunities it opens up outweigh any inconveniences,” he noted.
BUCE First Deputy Chairman of the Board Andrei Novikov assured Franck Vangendt that BUCE is ready to assist Bois Import SA with entering the Belarusian market, including accreditation, training, and search for business partners.
“About half of all the sawn timber made in Belarus is exported via BUCE. We are talking about 2 million m3 per annum. Moreover, in January we managed to get a number of sawn timber and round timber suppliers from Russia to participate in exchange trade. Therefore once you are registered with our exchange, you will automatically get access to the Russian market, too,” Andrei Novikov said. He also encouraged the French company to consider buying other woodworking industry products such as wood pellets.
“Six new pellet plants were commissioned in Belarus in 2020. There are plans to build another six in 2021. As a result our country will be able to export about 250,000 tonnes of pellets per annum. Now you have a good opportunity to start trading on this market early on and become one of the first suppliers of Belarusian pellets to the European Union. Regular shipments can be easily arranged by signing annual contracts,” the BUCE representative added.
