News & Events in Belarus
Costly timber in forested country: Lukashenko resolves this paradox to make wooden homes cheaper
Buying a home is perhaps the most pressing issue for any person. Everyone dreams of having their own home, be it in the city or in the countryside. Indeed, having your own home is vitally important. In previous episodes of BelTA’s YouTube project “After the Fact: Lukashenko’s decisions”, we told you how the housing issue is being addressed in Belarus and how much housing is built in our country, where to buy property for Br40 and whether it is possible to purchase a coveted land plot near Minsk. And now you will find out why Belarusian forestry enterprises branched out into the production of log cabin kits and how much such housing might cost. How did Aleksandr Lukashenko restore justice by changing the rules for the sale of timber, and where can you buy timber at a discounted price to build your own home or renovate your ancestors’ hut?
Two years ago, during one of his trips to the regions, Aleksandr Lukashenko asked how the housing needs of employees of agricultural organizations and other enterprises were addressed. Local authorities had to acknowledge problems on this front. Thus, the head of state assigned the government with a task to come up with a mechanism to offer discounts for timber to those who want to build their home. The president had the following considerations: if you help people living in rural communities with housing, they will have a solid reason to stay and work in the countryside. The country will definitely benefit from it.
Forestry enterprises branch out into making housing kits
The Forestry Ministry responded to this criticism and put forward its own solution. Forestry enterprises began developing standardized log cabin kits, and it turned out that this form of housing is in demand.
“Many people poured cold water on this idea back then. Even many heads of our forestry enterprises said that the idea to sell monolithic kits from blocks, from bricks is a non-starter. But, as they say, the main thing was to get the ball rolling. Last year we sold 10 house kits. To date, we have sold 38 house kits. We have orders for another 64 house kits and orders keep coming. Of course, this is surprising, but at the same time pleasant. This encourages us to evolve and innovate, to provide additional services. I am sure that this year we will sell 100 kits, and this will be our victory,” Forestry Minister Aleksandr Kulik said.
How housing kits are made
By now, 25 facilities to make log cabin kits have been created at forestry enterprises. Seven more workshops are to open in the near future. To find out how the production of log cabin kits is organized, we traveled to the town of Starye Dorogi. The products made by the local forestry enterprise are popular all over Belarus, with orders coming from various regions of the country.
“In November 2023 we launched a new workshop to make rounded wood products. In this workshop, we produce log cabin kits, bathhouse kits and gazebos. We carefully select raw materials to avoid defects, signs of damage. Two people work in this workshop, and on average they produce 60 cubic meters of finished products - this is about two small log cabin kits per month,” said Sergei Artemchik, Director of the Starye Dorogi Experimental Forestry.
Types of and prices for log cabin kits
What do finished kits look like, how much do they cost and are they worth it? You can get answers to these questions on trading platforms of the Forestry Ministry. In total, forestry enterprises offer five types of log cabin kits within the economy-class price range.
“The client can choose a rounded-log house kit with an area of 35m2. This will cost Br18,000. The client will need Br70,000 to get a double-rounded dry log house kit with an area of 90m2. The house kit includes a timber framework, rafters, beams, joists, battens, floor and ceiling. The client chooses the roof, foundation, windows and doors to his/her liking. With this house kit, the client can install windows and doors, and move in. If the client chooses a house made of rounded log of natural humidity, such construction needs time to settle: a year and a half or two. Only then it is advisable to install windows, doors, and do additional work on the house,” Veronika Pokut, head of the distribution network of the Kopyl Experimental Forestry, explained.
Will Belarusian forestries be able to bring the fashion for wooden houses back, to revive this good and kind tradition? Indeed, ready-made house kits are already becoming a trend. It is not only about eco-friendly materials. Wooden houses from the Forestry Ministry have been included in the Domestically-Made Goods lending program. Such a loan is issued for up to three years at a rate of 4% per annum. The loan will not cover the entire cost of spacious house kits, but such support will still be sizable.
According to Veronika Pokut, the house kit for Br30,000 is the most popular model. It includes a timber framework with an area of almost 100m2. The foundation, roof, windows and doors are not included in the price of the house kit and must be ordered separately. Wood of natural humidity also needs time to settle. As practice shows, however, all these points do not discourage people as the price is too attractive.
“This house kit is a very popular model. It costs Br30,000. It includes a timber framework and a rafter system. This house kit is made of rounded log of natural humidity. The wood species is pine. The area of this house is 98m2,” the head of the distribution network said.
Why was the decision taken to make timber for individuals in Belarus cheaper?
As the saying goes, every man should accomplish three things in his life: plant a tree, raise a son, and build a house. The Belarusian authorities have decided to give a shoulder to those who are doing their best to follow the precepts of their ancestors. Three years ago, thanks to the presidential decree on forestry management and timber sales, Belarusians got an opportunity to buy timber from forestry farms on favorable terms. It could be purchased at a reduced cost before, but the mechanism was too complicated. The head of state simplified this scheme.
The cost of timber used to be calculated on the basis of stock exchange quotations and, frankly speaking, hit the pockets of ordinary people.
“Are you introducing a draft decree that significantly changes the procedure for the sales of forest resources in the Republic of Belarus? What proposals are you making? I would like you to outline and justify it before I sign this decree. If we come to a common opinion and it will be beneficial and better for our economy and people, we will either change this system or renovate and improve it. The goal is all the same - we must not treat forest resources, forests and nature in a barbaric way. Secondly, everything we do should benefit the budget, people, the country. This is one criterion and principle we should follow while considering this issue,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said considering the draft decree in April 2020.
National parks have recently joined the preferential system, which made house building even an easier undertaking.
Buying timber on favorable terms
To get 70 cubic meters of business timber, for example, for the construction, reconstruction or repair of a house, you need a certificate of registration of the land plot for the construction of the house and design and estimate documentation for it. Tog et 10 cubic meters for repair and reconstruction it is enough to provide a technical passport for the property. Such a volume of wood for repairs can be provided on an annual basis. The only thing is it should be used for personal needs, not for resale.
Of course, you can buy timber if you are building a house without design and estimate documentation. In this case, however, forestries and national parks will not be able to calculate the volumes, and timber will be sold at a market price. This is a so-called protection mechanism to ensure that timber goes to those who really need it, and not to resellers.
“When I needed to buy timber for my building project, I was told by the forestry enterprise that there was a presidential decree, according to which timber for individual construction was offered at a considerably lower price. Of course, I was very happy about it. Timber became two times cheaper. This benefits the household budget a lot. My wife and I are already pensioners. It is good that there is such a decree and people can buy timber cheaper. This is a timely and right decision,” Gennady Berezovsky, a resident of Starye Dorogi, said.
Why does Lukashenko call to buy land plots in unpromising villages?
Such support of households (production of inexpensive house kits, sale of timber at a reduced price) helps people to build housing in rural areas more actively and indirectly solves another important task - to prevent small villages from dying. As Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasizes, having your small piece of land is a gift, a true happiness.
“Dear Belarusians and our closest friends from Ukraine and Russia, please think about my proposal to buy small plots in the so-called unpromising villages for a pittance, for a penny. You know that we have saved our villages. We are building more than 1,500 agro-towns. We have already determined where they will be. We have medium-sized and very small villages where many, many people used to live. Beautiful places, amazing places. These medium-sized and small villages must not perish. Who will keep them going? We will! Why do I recommend you, especially Belarusians, to settle down in these medium-sized and small villages?City dwellers, you should preserve these small villages. Let you have a dacha there. After all, this is 40-50 acres of land, a sizable piece. In a city or near a city, you can buy six acres at best for a summer house. Here it is 40-50 acres. Do it now. It will be late tomorrow. Do it because you have children and they need to know what it is to walk barefoot on the land,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he visited his hometown in July 2024.
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