China steals Russian forest: how to prevent this?
Can Russia introduce a moratorium on timber exports to China? The problems with the so-called "black loggers", operating mainly in Transbaikalia, have been known for a long time.
But the situation has reached such a stage that they are forced to talk about the real crisis in the Russian forest industry at the highest level. Earlier, Federation Council speaker Valentina Matvienko said:
Now a rather tough statement was made by the head of the Ministry of Ecology Kobylkin:
According to the minister, the face of his Chinese counterpart changed a lot when such a perspective was voiced. Is the problem so serious?
For Russia, China is the largest consumer of wood and wood products. The share of Russian wood in Chinese imports is 30%, for comparison, the USA and Canada following it supply 10% of the total. According to statistics, from 1994 to 2005, timber exports to China grew 50 times! Selling timber and its products abroad is a normal business, capable of creating jobs and bringing serious tax revenues to the budget. However, in practice, it turns out differently for us.
At first, the share of Russian wood products, such as plywood, containers, furniture, in our exports tends to zero. A third of the Russian forest is delivered to China in a completely unprocessed form, the remaining two thirds - with minimal processing. Chinese producers are only interested in raw materials, according to experts, Beijing poses tacit barriers to the purchase of wood processed in Russia. Thus, under pressure from the main buyer and with the connivance of the Russian government, there is no possibility of developing the domestic wood processing industry. Accordingly, there is no investment, no jobs, no taxes.
Secondly, a direct consequence of the current situation is the revelry of "black loggers" who carry out illegal logging. This criminal business is extremely profitable: investments are minimal, it is enough to hire a team, saw a round log, load it into the team and get your money. And then move on to the new site, gnawing behind everything that grows like locusts. Of the mandatory costs, only the payment for the "roof" by local law enforcement officers and officials. Accordingly, no taxes are paid, lumberjacks leave behind stumps, littered forest and mountains of sawdust, which easily ignite in the heat in summer, after which huge forest tracts burn out.
What can be done to solve this problem? The head of the Ministry of Ecology suggested to his Chinese counterpart to invest in the restoration of Russian forest lands:
However, to promise does not mean to make. In addition to appealing to the conscience of Chinese businessmen and officials, Russia must first restore order at home. Will the ban on timber exports to China solve the problem?
The expert of the FOK company Moses Furshik is convinced that it is not worth chopping off his shoulder. First you need to find buyers alternative to China and develop your own internal processing. In his opinion, the process of revising timber trade with China will take a long time.
The deputy from the Irkutsk region, Mikhail Shchapov, believes that it is necessary to completely ban the export of forest in order to change the conditions on the market. The legislator points out that in the current situation, Russia has a penny of official income with huge environmental problems. Do not be afraid to quarrel with China over the "black loggers", because Beijing is already in a state of trade war with Washington. Only by firmly defending its national interests can Russia force China to reconsider its unspoken protectionist policies. If there is a state program, investments will be made into timber processing within the country, new jobs will be created, and the budget will begin to receive tax revenues.
Orientalist Georgy Kocheshkov is inclined to believe that the Russian authorities will try to find a mild option in their own way, so as to entertain public opinion inside the country and not offend Chinese partners. In his opinion, only the export of completely unprocessed timber, which is only a third of the total volume, will be suspended. The remaining two-thirds is the forest with a minimum degree of cultivation, which will continue to be exported.
But the situation has reached such a stage that they are forced to talk about the real crisis in the Russian forest industry at the highest level. Earlier, Federation Council speaker Valentina Matvienko said:
This sphere has become so criminalized and corruptogenic that this rust has already corroded everyone! ..
Now a rather tough statement was made by the head of the Ministry of Ecology Kobylkin:
If in the near future we do not restore order, from the side, including of China, we will completely close the export of wood to China.
According to the minister, the face of his Chinese counterpart changed a lot when such a perspective was voiced. Is the problem so serious?
For Russia, China is the largest consumer of wood and wood products. The share of Russian wood in Chinese imports is 30%, for comparison, the USA and Canada following it supply 10% of the total. According to statistics, from 1994 to 2005, timber exports to China grew 50 times! Selling timber and its products abroad is a normal business, capable of creating jobs and bringing serious tax revenues to the budget. However, in practice, it turns out differently for us.
At first, the share of Russian wood products, such as plywood, containers, furniture, in our exports tends to zero. A third of the Russian forest is delivered to China in a completely unprocessed form, the remaining two thirds - with minimal processing. Chinese producers are only interested in raw materials, according to experts, Beijing poses tacit barriers to the purchase of wood processed in Russia. Thus, under pressure from the main buyer and with the connivance of the Russian government, there is no possibility of developing the domestic wood processing industry. Accordingly, there is no investment, no jobs, no taxes.
Secondly, a direct consequence of the current situation is the revelry of "black loggers" who carry out illegal logging. This criminal business is extremely profitable: investments are minimal, it is enough to hire a team, saw a round log, load it into the team and get your money. And then move on to the new site, gnawing behind everything that grows like locusts. Of the mandatory costs, only the payment for the "roof" by local law enforcement officers and officials. Accordingly, no taxes are paid, lumberjacks leave behind stumps, littered forest and mountains of sawdust, which easily ignite in the heat in summer, after which huge forest tracts burn out.
What can be done to solve this problem? The head of the Ministry of Ecology suggested to his Chinese counterpart to invest in the restoration of Russian forest lands:
I said: let's just build 10-15-20 seed-growing complexes in Russia for your money. You need a forest - restore us a forest. He replied: this is certainly a topic under discussion, I will come back with this.
However, to promise does not mean to make. In addition to appealing to the conscience of Chinese businessmen and officials, Russia must first restore order at home. Will the ban on timber exports to China solve the problem?
The expert of the FOK company Moses Furshik is convinced that it is not worth chopping off his shoulder. First you need to find buyers alternative to China and develop your own internal processing. In his opinion, the process of revising timber trade with China will take a long time.
The deputy from the Irkutsk region, Mikhail Shchapov, believes that it is necessary to completely ban the export of forest in order to change the conditions on the market. The legislator points out that in the current situation, Russia has a penny of official income with huge environmental problems. Do not be afraid to quarrel with China over the "black loggers", because Beijing is already in a state of trade war with Washington. Only by firmly defending its national interests can Russia force China to reconsider its unspoken protectionist policies. If there is a state program, investments will be made into timber processing within the country, new jobs will be created, and the budget will begin to receive tax revenues.
Orientalist Georgy Kocheshkov is inclined to believe that the Russian authorities will try to find a mild option in their own way, so as to entertain public opinion inside the country and not offend Chinese partners. In his opinion, only the export of completely unprocessed timber, which is only a third of the total volume, will be suspended. The remaining two-thirds is the forest with a minimum degree of cultivation, which will continue to be exported.
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