Mebel 2019: experts forecast further growth of Russian timber industry exports

Prospects of the Russian and global wooden board industry development have been discussed at a round table of Mebel 2019 held within the RusMebel Forum 2019. Efficiency in Today's Environment.

General Director of the Association of Russian Furniture and Timber Enterprises Timur Irtuganov served as the discussion moderator. He relied on the information of the Federal Statistic Service and the Federal Customs Service when presenting a review of the domestic market of wooden board products. According to the association head, Russian furniture factories were buying up to 85% of wooden boards abroad at the time Russia joined the World Trade Organisation. Nowadays, domestic supply practically fully meets the domestic demand for wooden boards.

According to the association, exports of Russian timber industry products totaled $12 billion in 2018 and continued to grow. Meanwhile, the volume of furniture and wooden board product exports has been insignificant. Irtuganov also dwelt on measures of government support for Russian furniture and timber enterprises.

For his part, StepChange Consulting analyst Alexey Beschastnov presented an analysis of the global wooden boards market and the share of the Russian timber industry in global production and exports. He noted, in particular, that lumber production had been rocketing in Russia. However, Russia's share nears 8% in the global chipboard production, exceeds 4% in the global OSB production, and stands at 2.5% in the global plywood production. Russian products account for 20% of the global lumber market.

According to the expert, China, Europe and the USA are the world's biggest manufacturers of wooden boards. The global production and consumption of such products are largely determined by the development of the construction industry, including individual house construction. For instance, individual homes account for 80% of all residential properties in the USA.

Russia is expecting a surge in housing construction, which currently amounts to a sixth of the construction market, and the expert expects this process to stimulate manufacturing of wooden boards. On the whole, the share of wooden board manufacturing considerably exceeds the share of furniture manufactured in Russia.

The topical issue was discussed jointly with representatives of 19 domestic timber enterprises, who asked experts about prospects and problems in the industry development.

The Mebel official website: www.meb-expo.ru/en/.