27.08.2021

Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov said that the inclusion of chipboards (particle boards) in the list of goods important for the Russian domestic market, on which temporary restrictions or export bans may be imposed, does not in itself mean the introduction of such restrictions or prohibitions.

“The register of products of high importance for the Russian economy gives us the opportunity to respond in the event of an imbalance in the market,” Manturov said through the press service.

As the minister explained, the project initially concerned only wood chips, but after two meetings with furniture and board manufacturers, the draft resolution was supplemented by inclusion in the list of chipboards.

The proposal to include chipboard and wood in the form of chips or shavings of coniferous species in the register is contained in the draft government decree, the document is posted on the federal legal portal of draft regulatory legal acts.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, over the year the price of particleboard increased by almost 40%, while exports increased by 30%. According to the ministry, there are objective reasons for this: due to trade restrictions related to the fight against the spread of coronavirus, furniture stores were closed, and the demand for products fell. Russian factories have reduced the production of material, and European ones have stopped producing plates altogether. After the resumption of retail operations, demand automatically rose sharply and there was a shortage of material volumes. “Now there is a need to have a mechanism that will allow us to balance the situation in the interests of ensuring the internal market,” the minister added.

Furniture companies reported the existing chipboard shortage back in December. Then the Ministry of Industry and Trade insisted that large furniture manufacturers do not feel a shortage of this raw material.