-production of timber rose to 8.5%

GOVERNMENT’S half-year economic report shows that there has been upward movement in the forestry subsector. The estimated growth is 7.8 per cent above the level achieved at the end of June 2018, making growth in the first half of 2019, 8.5 per cent.

According to the report, this is the sector’s second consecutive year of growth with the production of timber which includes logs, roundwood, primary lumber, splitwood and fuelwood.

The report credits the growth to improvements to interior roads in the latter half of 2018, which saw community loggers, particularly in Region 10, achieving higher production levels in the first quarter of 2019.

Production also went up as a result of small-scale concessions and community forestry operators increasing their output.

Log production grew by 6.8 percent, mainly on account of the increased extraction of Greenheart logs to meet local demand.

However, less international demand for roundwood resulted in a contraction of this category in the second quarter, which represents a 2.6 per cent decline relative to the previous half-year.

Primary lumber producers recorded gains of 32.4 per cent in the first half, capitalising on increased local demand for construction.

The report stated that the outlook for the remainder of the year remains positive for this subsector, with log production expected to remain high and roundwood to stabilise. (DPI)