MINSK, 31 July (BelTA) – We need to scale up wood processing and make profitable products out of storm-damaged trees, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said during a meeting with the heads of Belarusian diplomatic missions, BelTA has learned.
The president urged to develop sectors where Belarus has abundant natural resources, particularly highlighting the need for investment in the wood processing industry. However, he also pointed out some ongoing challenges: windfallen trees are sometimes left uncleared, improperly stored, and allowed to decay.
“Every storm brings a new problem. Under pressure from the president, the fallen trees were cleared, transported, and stacked at the edge of the forest. But then, nothing happened. Everything is still rotting. So I wonder why we bother to transport the wood and rescue it from damage?” the president stressed.
Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that storm-damaged trees can be used to produce high-margin goods, such as pellets. “We processed all the waste and produced pellets, but now there’s nowhere to sell them. I visited a facility and asked if pellets were needed globally. They said yes, they are needed, they sell them, and it's profitable. Of course, the profit margin is currently low because the European Union has closed its market but it will be back,” the Belarusian leader said confidently. In the meantime, he added, pellets can still be sold on other markets, albeit with smaller profits.
The president warned against situations where forestry workers and agricultural enterprise managers transport fallen trees and simply leave them in open fields. “This leads to double damage. They will rot there while occupying hectares of fertile soil,” he noted.
Aleksandr Lukashenko instructed officials to produce what the world needs and to cooperate with interested countries. “Let’s negotiate with other nations. Let them come, establish joint ventures with us, and process this wood,” the president said. “We have reached an agreement with Oman: they really need this. They’re ready to build enterprises here. But we’ve made no headway for half a year since my visit there.”
“Every storm brings a new problem. Under pressure from the president, the fallen trees were cleared, transported, and stacked at the edge of the forest. But then, nothing happened. Everything is still rotting. So I wonder why we bother to transport the wood and rescue it from damage?” the president stressed.
Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that storm-damaged trees can be used to produce high-margin goods, such as pellets. “We processed all the waste and produced pellets, but now there’s nowhere to sell them. I visited a facility and asked if pellets were needed globally. They said yes, they are needed, they sell them, and it's profitable. Of course, the profit margin is currently low because the European Union has closed its market but it will be back,” the Belarusian leader said confidently. In the meantime, he added, pellets can still be sold on other markets, albeit with smaller profits.
Aleksandr Lukashenko instructed officials to produce what the world needs and to cooperate with interested countries. “Let’s negotiate with other nations. Let them come, establish joint ventures with us, and process this wood,” the president said. “We have reached an agreement with Oman: they really need this. They’re ready to build enterprises here. But we’ve made no headway for half a year since my visit there.”
Follow us on:
