THE Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) head, Edward Goberdhan, acknowledged the recovery of Guyana’s forestry sector in recent years. He attributed this to the emphasis on exporting value-added products instead of primary products.
Goberdhan made these remarks during the Ministry of Natural Resources mid-year press conference, where the various heads of agencies under the ministry’s purview updated members of the media on the strides made in the various sub-sectors.
According to the head of the commission, there have been substantial enhancements in production within the sector over the years, despite the sector’s decline from 2014 to 2016.
“Over the last four years, through direct interventions of the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Government and the GFC, we have managed to rebound back the sector to increase production at the end of last year to over 450,000 cubic meters, an increase of nearly 20 per cent over the years,” he said.
Further to this, he added that investments by the government, including incentives relating to fuel and machinery, have helped the sector to regroup and ensure robust production.
As such, Goberdhan told members of the media that over the last few years they have seen a rapid utilisation of lumber in the domestic market and added that production is key to ensuring the sustainability of the sector.
With this, he added that value added is one of the key areas of focus of the government and the GFC and as such, this is another area that has seen significant investments.
“Over the last four years, we have seen significant investment in value-added facilities and some high-value products being produced… prefab housing, flooring, decking are all available in the local market and being exported,” the head of the commission said.
He proceeded to mention that there has been a significant decrease in the exportation of primary products, such as logs, and a shift towards the production of value-added products for both domestic and international markets.
Additionally, the government has made investments in value-added infrastructure in various communities, such as Ituni, where a furniture production facility has been established. Furthermore, Goberdhan indicated their aspiration to establish an additional setup in Orealla, situated in Region Six, while seeking support from the European Union to establish two additional setups in Region 10 and Region Two.