Export of wood through the Tomsk customs increased by 28.4% in a year

TOMSK, Jul 19 – RIA Tomsk. The volume of export of wood and wood products in the first half of 2018 through the Tomsk customs increased by 28.4% up to 663.8 thousand tons; only half of this volume – from the enterprises of the Tomsk region, the press service of the Tomsk customs reported RIA Tomsk on Thursday.

"The volume of exports of wood and products from it in the first half of 2018 for the Tomsk customs amounted to 117.4 million US dollars and more than 663.8 thousand tons (41.7% of the total amount of exports). In comparison with the first half of 2017 the cost volumes increased by 42.8% (plus 35.2 million US dollars), in physical terms volumes increased by 28.4% (plus 146.6 thousand tons)", – is said in the report.

It is added, that the greatest volume of wood goes to far abroad (55,6%, including 53,2% to China). Exports to these countries in the first half of 2018 increased by 8.7 US dollars (increase of 15.4%) compared to the same period in 2017 and amounted to 65.3 million US dollars. Exports to CIS countries increased by $ 26.4 million (two times) and amounted to 52.1 million US dollars.

At the same time it is specified that the volume of timber exports from suppliers of the Tomsk region in the first half of 2018 amounted to 370.3 thousand tons for the sum of 76.76 million US dollars. A year earlier – 254.29 thousand tons for 47.26 million US dollars.

As the representative of the regional administration specified RIA Tomsk, when calculating the volume of exports, customs authorities do not take into account the volume of exports of timber and products from it to the countries of the Customs Union (Kazakhstan and Belarus), as the relations with them are not declared.

Earlier it was reported that the head of the Tomsk region Sergey Zhvachkin wrote the letter to the film director Nikita Mikhalkov after the release of his program on the "Chinese threat" to the Tomsk forest. The governor told the director how the price at auction of leases for forest land was determined, commented on the charges of selling timber to Chinese companies for "nothing" and told what volumes of roundwood are exported from the region.