There are plans to increase the exports of the Belarusian sawn timber to South Korea with the help of BUCE’s trading platform. This matter was discussed during the meeting with two South Korean companies specializing in the import, production and distribution of wood products that voiced their readiness to make regular purchases of edged boards via BUCE.

It is noteworthy that residents of the Republic of Korea have been participating in lumber trades on BUCE since November 2023, gradually increasing the volume of transactions. This trend continued in 2024, and in the first half of the year, South Korean participants purchased some 6 thousand cubic meters of softwood sawn timber. In addition to lumber exports, the issue of supplying Belarus-made wood fuel pellets to South Korea is under consideration. The South Korean side is particularly interested in the so-called “gray” pellets that used for industrial purposes.

“China is currently the biggest buyers of sawn timber at exchange trades. In the first half of 2024, over 496 thousand cubic meters of sawn timber were sold to Chinese companies, which is 3.4 times more than in the same period of 2023. At the same time, exports to other destinations are also gaining momentum. These include Southeast Asia and the Middle East. For example, over 54 thousand cubic meters of sawn timber were purchased this year by companies from Singapore, 29 thousand cubic meters were sold to the United Arab Emirates, while residents of the Lebanese Republic procured 17 thousand cubic meters of Belarusian sawn timber. Given its demand for imported timber, the Republic of Korea, is certainly a promising sales market for Belarusian woodworking enterprises, which is why we invest substantial time and efforts in a bid to bring more South Korean buyers to our electronic platform. This said, we expect that the agreements reached during the meeting with the business delegation from South Korea will soon translate into exchange contracts,” BUCE press service noted.

According to BUCE, in January-June 2024, exchange exports of sawn timber amounted to 1.3 million cubic meters, up 3.5-fold over January-June 2023. Companies from China, Azerbaijan and Russia were TOP 3 foreign buyers of Belarusian sawn timber on BUCE.