Entrepreneur Jaak Nigul: a million euros for every Nursipalu family

Entrepreneur Jaak Nigul, CEO of Tarmeko, stated that government subsidies cannot replace employment opportunities in rural areas. Nigul, the head of the furniture manufacturer, described the company’s current situation as challenging. “The furniture industry has historically been our largest balancer of foreign trade, but now Estonia has the highest prices for timber in the region, which leads to a decline in competitiveness for companies on foreign markets.

Many companies are laying off or working part-time. Sawmills reportedly have warehouses full of goods whose export price is too high for foreign markets,” he explained. Nigul cautioned against forcing residents to relocate to Tallinn.

“Not everyone has moved to Tallinn yet, so don’t put people in a forced situation on the countryside.”

Tarmeko group indicated they do not currently plan layoffs, but are investing in efficiency improvements to ensure the company’s survival. “The growth in export volume is a major issue for us in the timber industry, not glass. We should think critically about what we will replace timber with in construction, furniture industry or energy sector with Russian gas and Chinese plastic.

Are we really going to replace timber with Russian gas and Chinese plastic?” Nigul questioned. “I would like to say to the new government that they should listen to specialists on all issues. If someone has a higher-education degree, they should listen to them on the timber issue, but forest scientists should be listened to on forestry issues.

Every restriction must be preceded by an economic and social analysis, otherwise we will soon face the prospect of rural areas becoming extinct and tens of thousands of jobs being lost,” he warned. Nigul reiterated, “Not everyone has moved to Tallinn yet, so don’t put people in a forced situation on the countryside.” He emphasized that subsidies cannot replace jobs. Furthermore, Nigul referenced a specific proposal, stating, “Subsidies cannot replace jobs.

And a million euros for each Nursipalu family to sacrifice their homes for the sake of the defense of Estonia. That’s less than what is spent on the project of the Tartu cultural capital.”

Topics: #jaak #nigul #entrepreneur