The association based in Czajków – as president Mariusz Sibiński said in an interview with PAP – was established only a few weeks ago. He explained that they were forced to establish the organization by the policy of the State Forests regarding the sale of raw materials and fiscal burdens. “The market situation resulted in the price for the manufactured goods being lower than the production costs. There are over 4.5 thousand of us in Poland. We were advised to form an association because this way it would be easier for us to fight for our rights. That's what we did, and today we associate over 150 companies,” he said.
“Exploitation of entrepreneurs from Ukraine is unforgivable”
One of the main goals of the Association of Producers of Pallets and Other Wood Products is to protect the rights of its associated employers against unfair competition, unjustified changes in regulations and fiscalism. Members are to guard the stability of producers on domestic and Community markets and take all anti-dumping actions permitted by law.
He pointed out that the market was beginning to be flooded with cheap pallets from Ukraine. Therefore, it was decided to sign an agreement with companies from other countries not to use dumping prices. “I will say strong words – the exploitation of entrepreneurs from Ukraine, buying goods from them at very low prices, is something unforgivable. This agreement is intended to uphold gentlemanly principles of business and humanity in business. We were all unanimous in helping Ukraine, to help them see that as EU countries we do not necessarily have to be competition for them and they for us, that we can and can reach an agreement on sales and prices. A pallet used to cost PLN 100 and today it costs PLN 36. We must ensure that we do not sell goods below production costs, because then it is very painful for us, our families and employees,” he said.
The agreement was joined by representatives of companies from the country (Polish National Committee EPAL, Polish Chamber of Commerce of the Wood Industry and the Association of Producers of Pallets and Other Wood Products) and from Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine and Hungary.
The meeting was attended by Mikołaj Dorożała, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Climate and Environment and Chief Nature Conservator. In an interview with PAP, he emphasized that it was very good that the industry had united. “We have a partner whom we will be able to invite to the “round table” – a nationwide conference on forests, which we are organizing at the end of April. Together with foresters, entrepreneurs, social parties, naturalists and local government officials, we will consider how to create a new philosophy of forests and access to wood to save the wood industry in the country, he said.
The so-called wood package
He informed that over the past 8 years “we have been dealing with extreme politicization of the State Forests and lack of dialogue with the timber industry, which has led to a crisis situation in this sector.” Therefore – as he explained – the so-called wood package. “These include demands to promote locality and deep processing of wood in the country, so that it does not leave Poland unprocessed for markets, especially outside the EU,” he pointed out.
Pallet producers emphasized at the meeting that the “door to solving problems” was opened to them by Wielkopolska parliamentarians Barbara Oliwiecka (Polska 2050) and Andrzej Grzyb (PSL). “This is a very good step, but there is still a lot of work ahead of them,” said MP Oliwiecka. She added that the tenders used by the Polish Forests for the purchase of wood were very unclear. “This led to traders who took raw wood abroad, mainly to China, having the same purchase price as entrepreneurs who employ people and process the wood. Due to the fact that they bought more, they had even more preferential conditions, because that's how the State Forests system worked,” she said.
MP Andrzej Grzyb said that the wood industry is in bad condition. “That's why we decided to act to help them,” he said. He emphasized that there cannot be a situation in which “Polish entrepreneurs have trouble purchasing wood in their country and at the same time the wood is sent abroad in containers from the forest. It should be processed in country, it should gain added value here and only then can the processed product be sent abroad,” he said.
author: Ewa Bąkowska
