Colonialism in the forestry sector of Guyana

Jul 03, 2016 Letters

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Dear Editor;
“OUR ECONOMY IS NOT IN ANY SORT OF CRISIS.” This was a recent statement from Guyana’s Minister of Business & the Forestry/Productive sector. I am forced to write this letter, my first to the media, because I fear and feel so much pain for my country, especially in the forest sector where I earn my daily bread. Although the norm in GT is to stay quiet, good and close with the race/party that is “first past the post” if you want to get by and not be victimized or have “you corn mashed”. I have fought/worked through blood sweat and tears as a true patriot for many years, so I have no fear…as a Guyanese, I have a right to contribute my 2 bit if I feel things are not well. Let the chips fall where they may.
As the years go by, it becomes clearer that the majority of those elected/selected to lead our beautiful country to prosperity, are clearly lacking in vision, ideas, and the required knowledge to harvest the limitless resource of our blessed land/peoples to provide a good life for all Guyanese, primarily in our forestry/productive sectors that we all know have endless possibilities/potentials.
Statements like those attributed to the Minister of Business (Stabroek News 16/6/24), with no tangible substance/vision, apart from invisible/imagined macro growth, are useless to the common man in the street struggling to make ends meet, and more so those in the forestry/productive sector that have been for years screaming for help. Obviously there is no plan. There needs to be more help and direct involvement from the government, vis a vis our legislators for the sectors to realise anything close to their true potential.
Over the years I have been a fierce campaigner for Value Added, travelling the world, seeing the amazing possibilities, only if our leaders and people can really start to co-operate for Guyana. For this to happen we need knowledgeable leadership and direction to deal with our unique dispensation not just people who say things to suit their well off/comfortable supporters or ear of other developed countries who have already plundered their forests/resources to construct their concrete jungles we like to run to.
We need leadership who understands our forests, the landscape and laws of nature that govern them, what it takes to sustainably maximize utilization, and immediately start to implement policies/legislation so that that our generations can proudly look forward to success and happiness. There are so many knowledgeable minds out here that want to make a difference, utilise this massive pool of thinkers/doers available, stop this forever negatively inherent nonsense of, pay back for support and “ jobs for the boys!“
It pains to see treated, hand grown, 3rd/ 4th grade pine wood from the US and Canada starting to dominate our lumber yards/government buildings, even flown in to Kaieteur National Park for construction, when we have so much better in every aspect; while the government continues to ignore the suffering in this and all other sectors. We need help!
The banks are reluctant to give loans to local people in the logging/processing sector , since the State Forest Permission (SFP) concession agreement is only a bi-annually renewable document; while foreign firms like Baishanlin can use their millions of acres of Wood Cutting Leases (WCL)& Timber Sales Agreements(TSA) ,[20-30 years Ownership Documents] , inventories the most expensive species, and use as collateral for billions $ of financing; at the same time receiving tax breaks for everything they bring in, pay ½ the price we pay for fuel, even getting transported lands for Housing projects, easy financing and factories, while we cannot go to the bank with a highway land lease for a loan to build processing plants because they want at least a 99 year lease or Transport.
On occasions in the past,Baishanlin would harvest hundreds of logs(more than the allowable cut per acre) from one of their many concessions, then intentionally burn the logged out area to cover the evidences of rape, thousands of acres at a time, and pay no fine( maybe because of their big friends high up at that time that they could afford to fly about, wine and dine),but if a small local concessioner(with a concession limited in species since it was previously harvested),mistakenly cut a few trees outside his overgrown boundary line, he is fined millions. Apart from the long term devastating damages this and many other known wanton infractions by this selfish investor has caused our dear Land, things like these need to be investigated/ addressed. We need a level playing field.
Recently on a visit to Ituni / Kwakwani(which by the way have one of the worst roads you would experience in this world), a minister said he would look into the arbitrary, burdensome fines with an aim of having them reduced when the matter was raised by small loggers, but so far nothing.
Dakamaballi wood species produces some of the best Hardwood Charcoal in the world, a commodity always in demand, a specie that is commonly found, that naturally regenerates itself after 2-3 years needs to be explored properly.[One past president even investigated/invested in kilns to produce coal for export]. Wamara wood species which are abundantly found all over Guyana predominantly in the mining areas was/is hardly used locally because of its hard/uncommon nature, is another specie we can capitalise on because of the high demand in China (entire Asia) and its abundance here.
Before this demand, apart from being used as firewood, burnt and bulldozed in the bauxite/mining areas and not even inventorised by the GFC , Wamara was a nothing wood, but has grown into the highest export earner for Guyana in this sector (ask GFC).The main buyers had stopped buying for over a year after our past election, restarting only recently after a Minister’s much published visit to China(maybe accidental), but has caused a huge temporary relief for thousands mired in frustration with few options, including GFC, whose revenue had dived significantly.
It pains to see GPL importing hundreds of millions $ in Pine transmission poles when thousands of our Wallaba pole makers are jobless with no assistance or alternatives, while a specie that is abundant and 10 times more durable lies idle. There are even Lathes that make these poles, with our top class Wallaba Shingles arguably the most durable in the world [Ask the first children of Presidents College].One past president tried helping many people with German tractors, chainsaws, trucks, and grants to produce Mora Railway Sleepers in the 70s/80s, to satisfy the large demand that this specie/product had and still has in many parts of the world, because of its unique strength properties for industrialized uses. This is another abundantly available specie that few locals use and is even refused at most local sawmills that has great demand/possibilities worldwide. continued
Alwyn Bynoe
Editor’s note: The letter will conclude in tomorrow’s edition

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