BiH exported furniture, bedding, mattresses and similar products worth more than 300 million BAM in the first quarter of this year.
Average monthly exports exceeded the amount of 100 million BAM, which represents a new increase in comparison to the previous year, which was a record year.
Final producers of wood from Tuzla Canton export goods, mostly furniture, in the total amount of 60 million BAM. They mostly export to Germany, Italy, Austria and other European countries, as well as neighbouring Serbia and Croatia.
They noted that they could achieve even greater results if they had better conditions for it. “The main problem is the lack of the Law on forests of Canton Tuzla. Another problem is the distribution of raw materials. There is enough of wood, but it is exported as semi-finished products in planks, elements etc. Final producers are not favorited and that is a main problem of the development of wood industry in BiH,” said Ramiz Grapkic, the president of the Group of Wood Processors KPK TZ.
Sejfudin Kamaric, commercial director of “ISOWOOD” from Gracanica, added: “We need to import raw materials from Germany – plank, and make the final product from it and export it to the EU where we make profits. Final producers have to put brent into service, as if we were the primary wood producers, in order to be able to participate in the biddings.”
The coverage of BiH with forests is about 53 %, and the wood industry could be the backbone of the development of our economy. This potential has not been sufficiently exploited yet. Wood producers are waiting for the adoption of the Law on Forests of the FBiH for more than nine years.
(Source: akta.ba)
