Potential for development of woodworking productions in the Western regions of Ukraine and the directions for its realization
Today, the woodworking industry is a strategically promising export-oriented segment of the national economy of Ukraine, as well as an important link for its integration into the global value chains. The presence of a significant raw material base and the prospects for expanding of product markets are the objective basis for the further dynamic development of domestic woodworking industry. The purpose of the article is to determine the production and export potential for the development of woodworking industry in the Western regions of Ukraine and to substantiate the organizational and economic forms of its practical realization. According to the results of the assessments, it is established that the vast majority of Western regions of Ukraine, especially Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Volyn and Rivne, have significant potential for further dynamic development of the woodworking industry. The processing (wooden furniture, windows, doors, floor) and production of paper and paper products are defined as the most promising industries in the region from the point of view of import substitution (i.e. orientation towards meeting demands on the domestic market). At the same time, from the point of view of increasing the presence of wood products of Ukrainian producers on the foreign markets, the production of alternative finishing materials for furniture, the production of energy-saving products, as well as the production of plywood and wood pellets are promising. Vertical integration will facilitate the full realization of the potential of domestic woodworking enterprises. The creation of integrated business structures in the woodworking sector, in particular in the Western regions, will enable meeting the needs of the woodworking productions for raw materials by establishing mutually beneficial links with the forestry sector; supporting and stimulating investment activity at the meso-level, which will ultimately contribute to the formation of a high level of competitiveness of domestic wood products, and consequently, to acceleration of their entry into foreign markets and to increasing the efficiency of the Ukrainian woodworking industry as a whole.