The export of the wood assortments and forestry of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the first half of the year amounted to 985 million BAM and is 11.34 percent less compared to the same period last year, while the import was 425 million BAM, which is less by about six percent compared to the first six months of last year, it was said at the session of the Assembly of the Association of the Wood Industry of the Foreign Trade Chamber of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
At the session, it was noted that in this period there was an evident decline in the export of all product groups, except for wooden furniture and wooden prefabricated houses, as well as that the growth of the export of forest wood assortments was stopped by the Decision on the temporary ban on exports, which was in force until July 31.
The most important export markets were Germany, where exports amounted to 196 million BAM, Croatia 132 million BAM, Italy 83 million BAM, Serbia 71 million BAM and Austria 45 million BAM, the Foreign Trade Chamber stated in the press release.
Imports of all product groups are in decline in the first six months of this year, compared to the same period in 2022, except for wooden furniture, while most were imported from Croatia, Serbia, Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic.
At the session, it was concluded that the most important activities in the future work of the Association are advocating that a decision be made as soon as possible on banning the export of certain forest wood assortments in order to ensure a safe supply of raw materials for domestic processing capacities.
It was concluded that it is necessary to diversify export markets, that is, to find new markets, due to the situation in traditional export markets, and guidelines for internationalization were adopted as part of the chamber’s activities for the next period.
The press release states that it was pointed out that in the next five years, the special focus will be on the circular and green economy, and that the Chamber is already implementing several projects in this area.
The importance of introducing relevant standards due to increasing internationalization and market competition, as well as the increasing demands of foreign partners in this matter, was highlighted at the session.
The necessity to define the steps towards the introduction of the “green certificate” as soon as possible was emphasized, since the companies from the wood industry are increasingly faced with the demands of their foreign customers.
At the session, it was concluded that companies from BiH easily adapt to market requirements, are flexible and offer a large number of products, which makes them very recognizable on the foreign market.
“It is evident that there is a growing need for production optimization, digitization, and the introduction of a green economy model in order to reduce costs, raise quality, meet requirements and remain within international value chains. In addition to the above, it was assessed that the wood industry represents an opportunity for foreign partners and investors in the field technology, knowledge transfer and good practices to optimize production,” the announcement emphasizes.
