MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th May, 2022) Latvia is starting to feel the effects of limited timber imports from Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus as prices for firewood have risen at least twofold compared to last year, Latvian national broadcaster LTV reported on Wednesday.
Two cubic meters of firewood cost 120 Euros ($126) a year ago and now cost 220 euros, LTV said. The prices will continue to rise and it is unknown what the situation will be at the start of the heating season, the news added.
Along with the cost of raw materials and production, the demand from abroad for finished wood products has also risen, with RaWood Eksport selling only 5% of its products domestically, and Wood 5 K selling about 20% at home, the report said.
Latvia is only beginning to feel the importance of timber imports from Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus and their market share, RaWood Eksport Operational Director Janis Slavietis said, according to LTV. A ban on the export of raw wood from Latvia might be one of the options for limiting the rise in firewood prices, he added.
