A strategically important resource: Urals customs officers have registered roundwood exports worth $1.8 million
since the beginning of the year
Published: March 21, 2024 08:47
March 21 is World Wood Day. It aims to raise awareness of the importance of wood in the world and its responsible use.
At the beginning of the year, the United Nations has been raising awareness about the importance of wood in the world and its responsible use
Since the beginning of the year, Urals customs officers have processed the export of almost 25,000 tons of roundwood worth $1.8 million. The largest shipments were for China, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Timber is also popular abroad: over 124 thousand tons worth $26 million were exported in the first 2 months of 2024
The Kurgan Oblast recorded a 3-fold increase in roundwood exports due to an increase in supplies to Kazakhstan, while the indicators of other regions of the Urals Federal District remained at the level of previous years
“Lumber and timber are among the strategically important resources. The customs authorities pay special attention and carry out thorough control when exporting such goods. I would like to note that attempts to illegally export resources are regularly suppressed. In 2023 alone, the Ural Operational Customs Service uncovered 44 cases of illegal movement of timber. Since 2023, the practice of selling timber seized in criminal cases has been introduced. Investigators have already received court orders to sell seized timber in three criminal cases. In the near future, the smuggled timber will be sold, and the funds from the sale will go to the budget,” said Alexei Frolov, head of the Urals Customs Directorate
Public Relations Department of the UTU