Export of USD 700 million in 2022 – German and Serbian companies share experiences with new solutions in wood industry

An annual surplus of nearly USD 200 million a year made by the Serbian wood industry is a clear indication that wood is a significant product of the Serbian economy and its great potential, said Martin Knapp, director of the German-Serbian Chamber of Commerce (AHK Serbia), in Belgrade at yesterday's opening of the conference “Machines and Equipment for the Wood and Wood Processing Industry in Serbia”.

The state of the wood industry in Serbia was also discussed by Professor Branko Glavonjic of the Technology, Management and Furniture and Wood Product Design Department at the Faculty of Forestry in Belgrade, who focused primarily on the establishment of a new national strategy of the development of Serbia's wood industry.

– We are looking to make Serbia renowned for its wood products with a high additional value – Glavonjic said and added:

– With a better organization of the sector itself and the technological modernization of enterprises, we expect to receive stronger support by the Government in the next five years, as well as the expansion of the development, so that we could have the export worth USD 700 million in 2022.

He reminded that there were 23,000 employees in the wood industry at the moment, fewer than twenty years before when the sector had employed 37,000 workers, as well as that companies producing furniture and wood products consisted of 95% micro and macro enterprises, with only 5% made up of medium enterprises.

The consultant of the Export Initiative Program of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy of Germany, Ulrich Wild, called the conference very successful, considering the limited wood industry in Serbia.

– The preparation of such a project has lasted a long time, as has our cooperation with the German-Serbian Chamber of Commerce. We are very pleased that the audience has shown great interest and that the German companies present have managed, with their new technologies, to initiate potential cooperation with Serbian companies – Wild said.

A great contribution to the conference was made by representatives of ten German companies, who presented their machinery and equipment programs for the Serbian wood industry, and the conference was followed by B2B meetings with Serbian companies and state institutions with the aim of familiarizing themselves with the Serbian market, establishing cooperation and exchange of experience and know-how.

Following the conference, Stevan Djuric stated on behalf of the German-Serbian Chamber of Commerce that AHK Serbia was very satisfied that ten suppliers of machinery and equipment had shown interest in the project.

– This area is one of Serbia's four strategic sectors and there's mutual interest by German suppliers and Serbian companies – Djuric said.

The conference was organized by AHK Serbia with support by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy of Germany.

AHK Serbia has been organizing events attended by delegates of German companies in various areas for a number of years. The aim of these conferences is for Serbian companies and institutions to receive information on the latest technologies from German experts and companies, with renowned Serbian experts discussing the state of the local market. Furthermore, they aim to establish cooperation between Serbian businessmen and their potential business partners in Serbia.

AHK Srbija

Šumarski fakultet Univerziteta u Beogradu

Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy of Germany

wood industry

Martin Knapp

Branko Glavonjic

furniture production

Stevan Djuric

AHK Serbia