Chancellor of the Ministry of the Environment of the Republic of Lithuania and the Deputy Forester General Visit UAB Juodeliai

On 9 May, Robertas Klovas, chancellor of the Ministry of the Environment of the Republic of Lithuania, and Gintaras Visalga, deputy forester general, visited the wood processing company Juodeliai. The aim of the visit was not only to visit the wood processing company, but also to meet board members and the Wood Processors Association and discuss the most urgent issues.

Together with Andrius Zimnickas, director of UAB Juodeliai, and Juozupas Zimnickas, director general of UAB Juodeliai, Mr Klovas and Mr Visalga visited a manufacturing unit of the company located in the village of Jūrė. The chancellor of the Ministry of the Environment was showed around the storage area for logs and production facilities by the managers and was able to inspect the working conditions of employees. Mr Klovas was interested in the annual output of logs processed by UAB Juodeliai and sourcing of raw materials. The guests were pleased to hear that the vast majority of timber is sourced from Lithuanian state-owned forests.

After visiting the manufacturing unit of the company, guests and managers of the company continued their meeting at the head office of UAB Juodeliai in Marijampolė. The discussion was also joined by A. Kavaliauskas and S. Astrauskas, representatives of the Wood Processors Association. The discussion focused on the new electronic wood trading procedure. The most urgent issue was the problem of ascending price long-term and half-year auctions. The managers of UAB Juodeliai and representatives of the Wood Processors Association suggested carrying out auctions not by open ascending price auction, but by sealed first-price auction.

During the meeting, problems related to biofuel were also discussed. Mr Klovas promised that the Ministry of the Environment would attempt to prevent timber suitable for processing being used for firewood. Assurances were also given to support only biofuel boiler units suitable for burning not only firewood, but also waste and straw.

The meeting was useful for all parties. In order to progress in the field of wood processing, further cooperation is expected in the future among the representatives of the government, producers, and associations.

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