Czech pencils Koh-i-Noor may rise in price by 20% due to sanctions against the Russian Federation

Pencils by Czech manufacturer Koh-i-Noor may rise in price by 15-20% due to sanctions against Russia, reports Seznam Zpravy. The company can no longer purchase timber directly from Russia.

“Wood, which we used to import from Russia, can no longer be imported from the country. We buy it from China, which buys raw materials from Russia, and we transport it across the ocean, ”Vlastislav Brzhiza, the owner of the company, explained to the publication. He declined to give any forecasts, as it is not known how the increase in prices will affect buyers.

But, as Vlastislav Brzhiza notes, despite problems with Russia, where the company had production and stores, the Koh-i-noor holding will survive a sharp rise in raw material prices and the current crisis. According to him, the situation will be worse for small businesses.

The European Union imposed a ban on the import of forest products from Russia on 8 April. It was announced as part of the fifth package of sanctions due to the military operation in Ukraine. All main categories of goods that were exported, including wood and wood products, charcoal, wood pulp, kraft paper and some types of kraft cardboard, as well as furniture and its parts, fell under the restrictions. In addition, the EU countries have imposed a ban on the export to Russia of certain types of forest products, including lumber, wood-based panels, plywood, paper and cardboard, as well as products of machine and machine tools for the forest industry.

After anti-Russian sanctions caused serious disruptions in the chains of cargo flows from Russia to Europe and vice versa, Russian carriers faced with the need look for new delivery routes. Now our ships are cut off from the largest EU port hubs (Rotterdam, Hamburg, Antwerp), international container lines refuse to enter Russia.