The Lack of National System of Production Certification and Forestry Code Affects Timber Exporters: Ilim Pulp Enterprise top manager

Nov 5, 2003. /Lesprom Network/. The lack of a national production certification system and of a working forestry code may cause serious problems for Russian timber exporters, Ilim Pulp Enterprise director on timber-industry business development Dmitry Chuiko said. Dmitri Chuiko expressed his view at the meeting of Sibirskoye Soglashenie interregional association on forestry and timber-industrial issues during Siberia Forestry and Timber-Processing Exhibition which took place in Irkutsk. The EU will stop non-certified timber imports beginnning from 2006 as stated at the International timber-industry forum, Dmitri Chuiko reminded. As a result Russian exporters may soon face serious problems. ‘But before we start issuing certificates, we should create a national product certification system and then obtain the accreditation under international standards’ - Chuikov added. Ilim Pulp Enterprise top-manager called on supporting the creation of regional certification centers. The new forestry code edition which is meant to establish the relations between the state and timber merchants has not yet been approved by the parliament. The code does not define basic powers of regional authorities as to forestries, and presently the federal government is depriving the regions of independence as to managing timber-industry. The mechanism of timber-processing and timber-felling activity licensing which could prevent insignificant firms from entering the market has not yet been defined. Dmitry Chuiko stressed the importance of close cooperation between timber-merchants and MPs representing Siberian regions and convince them to promote the regulations of the new code at the federal level.