MINSK, 22 April (BelTA) – The export of forest products via the Belarusian Universal Commodity Exchange (BUCE) rose by 9% in April to Br62.2 million, BelTA learned from BUCE Press Secretary Roman Yaniv.
On 1-21 April BUCE helped sell 405,000m3 of timber and chipped wood worth a total of Br62.2 million. The figure exceeded the one registered in March by 9% in monetary terms. In physical terms the sale of timber rose by 2% to 170,000m3 while the sale of chipped wood went up by 21% to 235,000m3.
The number of target markets increased as well. Companies from 18 countries bought Belarusian sawn wood in April. The top buyers were companies from Germany (33%), Lithuania (35%), Latvia (12%), Azerbaijan (5%), Czechia (3%), and other countries (12%). Chipped wood was primarily sold to Poland (55%), Latvia (24%), Lithuania (11%), and Estonia (9%).
China's demand for Belarusian sawn timber increased. The large Belarusian timber export company UP Bellesexport sold 5,000m3 of sawn timber to China on 21 April. The previous batch of sawn timber bought via BUCE was already shipped to China by container train on 8 April. Shipments in containers are economically viable because the Chinese government offers a discount on returning containers. The discount covers a considerable part of shipping costs. Apart from that, transportation by rail is four times faster than transportation by sea on the average.
The public joint-stock company (OAO) Belarusian Universal Commodity Exchange was established in 2004. The first trade sessions took place in June 2005. BUCE is one of the largest mercantile exchanges in Eastern Europe. Its key function is to assist Belarusian companies with exporting their products and assist foreign companies with entering the Belarusian market. The commodity exchange facilitates trade in metals, timber, agricultural products, and a broad choice of industrial and consumer goods.
