…codes to be implemented for manicole and nibbi value-added production
The Guyana Forestry Commission yesterday held a discussion forum with loggers, saw millers, timber dealers, and exporters, among others, to inform of the revision of the Code of Practice for Timber Harvesting and the development and finalization of Codes of Practice for Non Timber Forest Products. In addition to including further measures aimed at positioning Guyana to be more competitive at timber producing, the forum also discussed the Codes of Practice being crafted for Nibbi furniture production and for the Manicole Palm industry. Delivering the feature address was Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud.
The Minister said the perception is that when there are new regulations, it means more work for the staff of the Commission.
But he said the development of guidelines and codes of practice is not intended to make things difficult for stakeholders, but it is what is required in today’s economic and social environment, if Guyana, in the long run, is to be able to develop a world class forestry sector.
He said the changes are necessary if Guyana, in the long run, is to develop a worthwhile forestry sector.
The Minister said everyone now recognises that when people talk about forests, they do not only mean the trees and timber, but also the range of products and services both at the primary and at the value-added levels.
He said if Guyana is to move forward on the new perspective of gaining the most from its forests, then the country must ensure that its institutional framework and guidelines are tailored for the new dispensation, hence the efforts at retooling the Code or Practice.
The Minister said many persons tend to attribute the range of activities being undertaken by Government to better regulate the sector is springing up because of the Low Carbon Development Strategy. But this perception he dispelled, saying that many of the regulations and laws long predated the advent of the LCDS. He spoke of the new Forestry Act which spent about a decade going through consultations before it was finally passed in Parliament.
If Guyana does not make the changes that are necessary, then the country will find its forest sector at a disadvantage, the Minister said. He said too that if exporters cannot assure their buyers that there is a legal verification system for the forest products, then they are also placed at a disadvantage.
“If we do not put our house in order, you may find yourselves shut out from these markets,” he said. “The efforts we are making are to ensure that we satisfy those requirements; but at the same time, we continue to be compatible with national as well as international requirements,” he said.
The Minister noted that since its launch in 1998, the Code of Practice for Timber Harvesting was revised and is now being further revised. It is envisaged that mechanisms for performing carbon stock assessments, environmental services assessments, community forestry and replanting of trees will be included in the latest revision of the document.