ST. PETERSBURG, June 18. /TASS/. The Leningrad Region will re-orient its timber exports to Russia’s southern regions, Leningrad Region governor Alexander Drozdenko said in an interview with TASS on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

"We have lost the timber sector. After all, it is too expensive to sell timber to Asia. This is the kind of products that don’t stand long shipments. We should sell finished products there, since raw materials, timber cannot be transported to a long distance. That is why we are now more focused on the south of Russia, new Russian regions, when it comes to supplying timber. And, naturally, on processing," he said, adding that timber production is reviving in the region thanks to new markets.

"The timber sector begins to revive because we have found new markets. Timber products are in high demand in Russia’s new regions where a lot of construction is underway. Yes, we have to sustain certain losses but we are selling products there and timber production is reviving. Production volumes, however, have not yet regained the pre-sanction level, but now it is not minus 45%, but some minus 15% on that level. And this is good," he stressed.