Small timber firms asked to merge<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Small and medium sized timber companies should
\nmerge with large ones to enable them to meet ecolabeling
\nrequirements, an executive has said.<\/p>\n
The chairman of East Kalimantan's chapter of the Indonesian
\nForestry Society, BS Suba, said over the weekend that unlike big
\nconcessionaires, small and medium sized concessionaires would
\nhardly be able to fulfill all ecolabeling requirements.<\/p>\n
"As a way out, they should merge with big concessionaires,"
\nSuba was quoted by Antara as saying.<\/p>\n
Ecolabeling ruling requires timber companies or
\nconcessionaires have sustainable forest management and promote
\nthe economic and social life of people living around their
\nconcession.<\/p>\n
The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) -- which
\ngroups consumer and producer countries -- has stipulated that
\nfrom the year 2000 ecolabeling would become a prerequisite for
\nproducers of tropical timber to gain access to markets in some
\ncountries.<\/p>\n
At least 19 countries have been using ecolabeling since 1977.
\nThey include members of the European Union, Canada, Japan,
\nScandinavian countries, the United States, New Zealand,
\nAustralia, India, South Korea, Singapore, Croatia, Taiwan and
\nIsrael.<\/p>\n
Ministry of Forestry figures show only 70 percent of the 470
\nconcessionaires are deemed prepared for the implementation of
\necolabeling in 2000.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Ecolabeling Agency has run ecolabeling trials
\non 14 of the 70 prepared concessionaires, including PT Kiani
\nLestari, PT ITCI and PT Sumalindo. The trial's results were
\n"quite good".<\/p>\n
Indonesia and Malaysia last year expressed concern over the
\necolabeling requirement which was applied only for tropical-
\nforest products.<\/p>\n
They insisted the ecolabeling ruling should also be imposed on
\nnon-tropical timber products. (jsk)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/small-timber-firms-asked-to-merge-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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