Allegations about portable mills have no supporting justification - Minister of Governance

Allegations about portable mills have no supporting justification – Minister of Governance

Oct 13, 2015 News

Minister of Governance, Raphael Trotman, has dismissed as unjustified, allegations by portable sawmill owners, that they have been forced to halt their operations due to pressure from the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC), as the demands of the Commission are constantly changing.
The allegations were contained in a Letter to the Editor that was published on September 21, 2015.
According to the letter, the GFC was treating portable mills as static mills, thus, causing higher production costs for the millers as logs would have to be transported miles to the established location. Trotman, however, said that the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) has never treated portable mills as static mills.
He stated that the Forests Act 2009 does not specifically define portable mills; in fact, the aforementioned Act treats portable mills as primary conversion plants. The Minister further asserted that the notion of having to truck logs for miles, in order to get to a portable mill (because of the incorrect assertion that it is treated as a static mill) is an inaccurate statement.
Trotman said that there are “no ever-changing demands of the Guyana Forestry Commission,” but rather, a simple implementation in the agreed phased matter of the Code of Practice for Processing Operations.
“Since portable mills have the ability to convert logs from their raw form into a product for resale; the erection and operation of these mills must be carefully considered. There are guidelines which the GFC must consider before deciding to issue or renew a licence for a particular portable mill.
These would include reasons such as suitability of the proposed site, suitability of layout and suitability of the equipment with regard to the minimization of waste.
The financial and technical resources of the sawmill owner, adequacy of the supply of forest produce with regard to other primary plants in the area, and environmental and occupational safety and health records are also other things that are looked at,” Minister Trotman explained.
The letter stated that there is also a requirement for an Environmental Protection Agency licence (EPA) which is a “complete waste of time for sawmills operating within concessions, and if a mill is to be relocated to another location a new licence is also required.”
GFC is said to have always allowed these mills to be erected within the concession where trees are located once the stakeholders meet the guidelines. Notwithstanding its ability to be operational almost anywhere, the Forests Act does not permit these mills to be operated in an ad hoc manner.
The GFC as well as EPA needs to be informed of the change in location. Thus relocation of the portable mills is allowed, provided that an application is made and certain basic requirements are met.
The Commission was said to also be charging portable mill owners/operators a hefty price for the licence, which despite the purchase date, would expire on December 31of the year of purchase. Trotman confirmed this claim as he stated that the legislation has consistently stipulated that all licences (including sawmill licences) issued by the GFC shall continue to be in force until December 31 of the year of issue. “GFC is simply being compliant with this,” Trotman stated.
The application fee for a mill currently stands at US$50 while the actual licence fee to operate each mill is US$300. This has been in effect since 1996.

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Allegations about portable mills have no supporting justification – Minister of Governance

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