DESPITE a significant increase in forestry exports and earnings last year, Guyana’s deforestation rate actually went down, as the country only utilised just over a quarter of its ‘maximum allowable annual cut’ for 2014.This was reported to industry stakeholders yesterday by Commissioner of Forests, James Singh, when he participated in the now annual sector review of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (MNRE).

At Herdmanston Lodge in Queenstown, Georgetown, Singh told the packed ‘Ogle Room,’ that the Forestry sector during the past year saw more than $3.5B being invested, lending to the employment of some 23,000 persons.
Singh, in providing the review for the Forestry Sector, reported that Guyana earned an estimated US$54M last year from exports, a 37 per cent increase in export earnings over the previous year.

REBUTTED NEGATIVE COVERAGE

During 2014, there was in excess of 500,000 cubic meters of logs harvested which represents an increase from just over 400,000 cubic meters the previous year.
He also used the opportunity to rebut what he called the biased, negative coverage pointing to the adverse impact this has had on international markets for Guyana’s forestry exports.
GFC has come in for intense criticism over the volume of logs exported in containers during the past years, but according to Singh, there could have been a lot more exported, had there been containers available.

According to Singh, “We could have done much more exports in 2014,” adding that the requisite containers were not available to satisfy the level of commodity available for export.
VALUE-ADDED PRODUCTION
One of the bug-bears that have plagued the Commission is the failure on the part of concessionaires to accelerate processing for Value- Added production.
“We have a long way to go,” said Singh, in relation to the pursuit of the export of value-added forest products.
Singh also announced that GFC will be looking to press operators in the industry to pursue, with greater fervour, lesser used species.
In his review of the sector’s performance in the past year, Singh told the stakeholders that there has been an increased focus on assisting those in the industry in sorting out issues, such as access to low cost financing and working through exporting bottle necks.
He said too that in the past year, there has been a greater tolerance on the part of the GFC, when it comes to rentals.
According to the Commissioner, there are persons/companies with access to land, but because of financial constraints, are unable to adequately harvest. Local companies are particularly affected in this regard, according to Singh.
This, he said, has lent to the GFC allowing for more rental agreements to be entered into by stakeholders in the industry.
According to the Forestry Commissioner, GFC has also been very flexible when it comes to the inventories required to be submitted by companies or operators operating in Guyana’s Forests.
It was explained that inventories are required to be submitted within a particular time-frame (November of the preceding year), but in the past year, GFC has been waiving the stringent requirements to accommodate operators.
He added too that based on requests, GFC would in fact undertake inventories for companies unable to undertake this task on their own.
Of the 26 large concessionaires operating in Guyana, Singh reported that 25 have already completed their Annual Operating Plans, while Forest Management Plans are in place for all.
There are currently 72 Community Forestry Associations with access to some 470,000 hectares of land.
Looking ahead to the operations of GFC in the immediate future, Singh announced that the entity, which falls under the MNRE, will be looking to review its Log Export Policy to be implemented for the coming year.
Many of the thematic goals developed for the sector in 2014 will roll over to this year, according to Singh, and listed areas such as “improved production, processing, manufacturing and export of forest produce; increase and enhance local forest products value added activities; tribulation of greater foreign and local investment”; and to encourage and monitor investments from existing stakeholders, among other activities.