The Subcommittee on Customs Regulation supported the proposal of the Ministry of Finance on the rate of export duties on rough wood. We are talking about coniferous and deciduous species – oak, beech, ash – with a moisture content of more than 22%, which were cut lengthwise. A source close to the government told Izvestia about this. A source in the Ministry of Industry and Trade confirmed this information on Wednesday, November 24.
The Ministry of Finance offered to set 200 euros / sq. On sawn timber from pine. m, from oak – 370 euros / sq. m, from beech – 250 euros / sq. m, ash-tree – 300 euros / sq. m. The Ministry of Economic Development should prepare an appropriate draft resolution.
On November 12, the deputy head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Viktor Evtukhov, told RBC that from January 1, 2022, a protective duty for wet sawn timber (processed timber) will appear, which will protect unprocessed timber from being exported from Russia.
“We are talking about processed raw timber with a thickness and width of more than 10 cm. In other words, about a roughly hewn log. This is the so-called “cover product”, it is used to disguise attempts to export round timber. Therefore, a protective export customs duty is required for this product, ”Yevtukhov explained.
As Deputy Prime Minister Victoria Abramchenko told Izvestia, the government is systematically working to transfer the timber industry complex to the model of deep wood processing. For Russia, round, unprocessed timber is no longer a commodity. The restriction on the export of round timber is accompanied by measures of support from the state for the reorientation of production.
According to her, there is already an increase in the production of timber products. For example, only in the Far Eastern Federal District (DFO) veneer production increased by 33%, pellets – by 57%, cellulose – by 9%, furniture – 10%, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade. At the same time, the volume of export deliveries of these products increased, Abramchenko stressed.
She recalled that along with support, the government is solving the problem of eliminating the “blind” zones, so that after January 1 of the next year there will be no export of round timber under the guise of allegedly processed materials. For this, we introduced a differentiation of timber by moisture content and degree of processing during export. Plus, from the same moment, the Cabinet plans to introduce protective customs duties when exporting timber from coniferous and valuable deciduous trees. It is exported under the guise of processed timber.
For the first time, the Russian government has established export duties on some types of roughly processed timber – from July 1 until the end of this year on the export of timber with a moisture level of more than 22%. For conifers and oak, the duty rate will be 10%, but not less than € 13 and € 15 per 1 cubic meter. m respectively. Previously, no duty was levied on these categories. Export duties on beech and ash also amounted to 10%, but not less than € 50 per 1 cubic meter. m. Earlier on these types of wood there was a duty of € 10 and € 12 per 1 cubic meter. m respectively.