Georgetown: Investment in the forestry sector amounted to $3.5 Billion in 2014, and employment of 23,000
Investment in the forestry sector amounted to $3.5 Billion in 2014, and employment of 23,000
The year 2014 saw the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC), recording yet another significant increase in its forest produce value, which accounted for US24.4 million, an increase of 96 per cent, as against the 2013 value of US 12.4 Million.
In 2014, log production was 406, 433 cubic metres (m3) as against 304, 601 m3 during 2013, which equates to an increase of approximately 34 per cent. During the Ministry of Natural Resources’ press conference, at the Herdmanston Lodge, today to review the performance of the natural resources sector, Commissioner of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC), James Singh, highlighted some of the thematic areas that were focused upon, during last year.
These include improving production, increasing and enhancing local forest product and its value activities, stimulating of greater foreign and local investment, and encouraging and monitoring investments of existing stakeholders.
Capacity building, increase of market, and the fulfilling of local and international obligations, including activities under the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS)and reducing of deforestation were also included.
Singh explained that some of the interventions that were implemented to successfully engage in these activities were the support for duty-free concessions, with the aim of promoting, retooling, and encouraging the use of appropriate machinery and equipment, and supporting of inventory requests by companies.
Singh further noted that normally companies are required to do their inventories and make submission to the commission by year- end. However, this requirement was adjusted, and the companies can now submit at any time, and based on request, the GFC does the inventory for them.
Additionally, the commission also focused on flexibility of the proximity rule without compromising Sustainable Forestry Management (SFM) principles. Singh noted that initially the proximity rule was that there must be a 10-meter distance between trees, but it was reduced to 8.
Meanwhile, skills training of employees and rehabilitation and maintenance of roads were also key areas that the GFC focused on in 2014. In 2014, total production of logs, primary lumber, long wood, fuel wood and split wood, was at 527,000 m3 as compared with 437, 000 m3, an increase of 21 per cent in production. In terms of export, US $54 million was exported compared with US$39 million in 2013.
In terms of Community Forestry Associations (CFAs), which allow for socioeconomic empowerment of communities living in and around the forest, 72 were established.
These now have access to 470,000 hectares and 125 concessions. CFAs also benefited from training and capacity building. Singh also highlighted that the European Union Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (EU/FLEGT) is on stream, and that GFC has completed the Monitoring and Verification System (MRVS) road map one. The protocols for road map two were finalised.
Meanwhile, in terms of the independent audit that GFC conducted of the sector, there were some excellent reviews and there was an improvement in terms of sustainable management by concessionaires in 2014. Twenty-five (25) concessions’ annual plans and 19 forest management plans were also approved during that period.
Investment in the forestry sector amounted to $ 3.5 Billion in 2014, and employment of 23,000. Year two of the National Log Export policy was implemented, while 243 persons were trained by the Forestry Training Centre.
Some of the challenges encountered during last year were companies not utilising large areas and investing in inventory as production was still low. Access to low cost financing, competition from imported wood products, skilled labour, export related bottlenecks, and building/maintaining road access to concessions were also some of the challenges.
In 2015, the GFC will be focusing on training employees at all levels, production, processing, added value, exports, monitoring of existing investments, foreign/local investment in the sector, compliance, market promotion, revision of National Log Export Policy, maintaining low rate of deforestation and strengthening collaboration with developing partners.
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