Firewood household prices in Romania have doubled over the past year as a result of legislation getting tougher, Director General of the Romsilva National Forestry Corporation Ciprian Pahontu told an energy conference on Tuesday.
"We are witnessing some turbulences on the market for firewood this autumn. They are generated first of all by legislation on legality of firewood in circulation and trade getting tougher. Over the last year, the Government has taken measures to contain illegal harvest and sale of timber. That has generated a quite important effect: in 2015, households could purchase firewood at prices of 200 lei per cubic metre; what is happening now in the countryside, where firewood is very much in use for heating, prices have almost doubled to 400-450 lei. This is a cumulated effect that includes legislation getting tougher and the effect of a governmental regulation of November 2015 that troubled the wood market in production year 2016," said Pahontu.
He added that Romsilva will make available 450,000 cubic metres of firewood for households by the end of the year.
"In 2016, Romsilva released to the market wood that had been rejected by business operators at two biddings and one negotiation. As of September 30, Romsilva managed to release 450,000 cubic metres of wood to the market. In 2015, almost one million cubic metre of firewood were provided to the households. The Government has taken measures to secure successful overwintering. The Government has promised us to release 450,000 more cubic metres to the market by the close of the year. Romsilva is not the only market player," Pahontu told the conference organised by Focus Energetic.
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