Dear Editor,
ALLOW me to express my total disappointment at the manner in which the Natural Resources Minister, Mr. Raphael Trotman, and the Kaieteur News publishers seek to display one aspect of the Guyana Forestry Commission’s operations (published on Thursday, February 25, 2016) while at the same time distorting and concealing some integral facts in relation to ‘the granting of log timber concessions’.Firstly, according to table (1) “Allocation of State Forest to Concession Holders”, there are 20 recorded concessions granted. Of the 20, four, namely: AMCAR, TSA 01/90 for 44,449 hectares; Barama Company Ltd, TSA 04/91 for 1,601,653 hectares;
Demerara Timbers Ltd, TSA 02/91 for 218,910 hectares; and Demerara Timbers Ltd, TSA 03/91 for 292,343 hectares, were granted prior to 1992, and they amount to 47 per cent of the ‘Allocated Forests’ which were granted. Another 8 concessions were allocated to locals; namely: A. Mazaharally & Sons, TSA 06/85 for 56,463 hectares; A Mazaharally & Sons, TSA 09/85 for 91,209 hectares; Ganesh Singh and Brs Logging Co., TSA 01/09 for 33,244 hectares; Interior Forest Industries Inc, TSA 11/85 for 70,442 hectares; Toolsie Persaud Ltd (Manaka and Takatw) TSA 04/85 for 123,857 hectares; Wanatobo Forest Resource Inc, TSA 05/07 for 28,467 hectares
(Area originally issued 1988 as small concessions); Wellen Timber and Trading Co, TSA 05/91 for 56,610 hectares; Willen Timber and Trading Co, TSA 10/85 for 55,998 hectares; and
Nagasar Sawh (Inactive), TSA 02/85 for 29,176 hectares.

These concessions amount to 12.3 percent of the combined Allocation of Four million, five hundred and forty-eight thousand six hundred and thirteen hectares (1,568,613).

My point is: if you look at allocation to foreigners, 47 percent, plus 12.3 per cent to locals, these add up to 59.3 percent of ‘Allocated Forest’.

All these allocations were made prior to 1992. By this I mean that, under the PNC Government/Administration, 82 percent of concessions were granted (according to GFC figures). 59.3 percent were granted prior to 1992, and 23 percent were granted under the PPP.

In concluding, as a longstanding member of the logging fraternity, who has been around for quite some time and who has paid his dues in both taxes and losses, I would request that the authors and those responsible for publishing the article, as well as members of the National Resource Administration, should restructure this article to illustrate to the public the truth, which is that, of the 82 percent of Forest Allocated, 59.3 percent were granted before 1992 under the PNC, and only 23 percent were issued under PPP/C after 1992.

So I suggest you properly state the facts and re-address this issue before you cast a bad image on the present GFC Administration, who in my view are doing a very fine job.
A. Noel