Wood processing plants take over half of production abroad

Autor: Ioana David 17.12.2010

Romanian wood exports annually go beyond one billion euros and are mainly operated by foreign players, most of them Austrians, which have invested hundreds of million euros on the domestic market and are now directing production to foreign destinations where prices are 5-10% higher, reads BUSINESS CONSTRUCT monthly magazine in its next week edition.
At present, over 50% of production of large plants like Egger, Kronospan and Holzindustrie Schweighofer go abroad, but there are also cases where the percentage gets as high as 90% of the total, like that of Prolemn Reghin.
By far, the most important export destination is Japan, where annual deliveries reach 100m euros, with the Japanese using wood processed at the plants of Gerald Schweighofer.
In 2010, export destinations posted a good performance, but in 2011 they may enter a less fortunate decade, as some industry players estimate.
The biggest exports are those of unprocessed wood, reveals an analysis based on National Statistics Institute data. Thus, in the first six months wood exports reached 305.8m euros, up 34% from a year ago.