Latest update March 29th, 2025 5:38 AM
Govt. looks to rebuild depressed logging industry “in the right way”
– Trotman
By Abena Rockcliffe- Campbell
Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman has recognised that the logging industry is “a bit depressed.” However, the Minister said that he is not worried as he sees this as an opportunity to build the industry “in the right way.”
Trotman told Kaieteur News that the depression of the logging industry is due to many eventualities. “There are several reasons, the main one being that the market in Asia slowed down a bit” .
The Minister said that the slowdown of the Asian economy has really impacted the industry mainly because most logs that were exported from Guyana were being shipped to Asia.
“The logs were actually feeding into value added production in China and India,” said Trotman.
Secondly, Trotman said that the restriction placed on the exportation of certain logs has also caused a dent in the industry. However, he said that this restriction was necessary. “I felt as if we were just exporting logs and not getting the value for our logs, this needed to stop.”
Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman
The third reason, Trotman says that contributed to the slowdown within the logging industry, is the fact that one major logging company—BaiShanLin Forest Development Inc.—has dropped out the system. The controversial company was the largest exporter of logs from Guyana.
“Then there is the weather and the hinterland roads but Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson is helping in that regard,” said Trotman.
The Minister noted that the industry “is not in a crisis, it is doing relatively well but the industry was like a commodity export industry.”
“We are using the opportunity now to actually review log export policy.”
Trotman said that there is a draft log policy which the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) has developed and “we are trying to start consultation.”
“So we are using this opportunity to do an assessment on what we have. The industry is going to pick up again and when it does we do not want to see logs alone going out. There may be a log here and there but at the end of the day we want to see furniture, we want to see things being made with our wood for which we earn more money,” said Trotman
Similar Articles
1 thoughts on “Govt. looks to rebuild depressed logging industry “in the right way””
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
Is the time saved worth the risk?
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News- A man once had a flight to catch. He left his home in Georgetown later than planned,... more
Weekend Cartoon
‘Govt. looks to rebuild depressed logging industry “in the right way”’
First tell us of the ‘wrong way’