Concessionaires to gear up for eco-labeling

Concessionaires to gear up for eco-labeling

JAKARTA (JP): The names of forest concessionaires that are considered prepared to meet eco-labeling requirements will be announced later this month, an executive of the Association of Indonesian Forest Concessionaires (APHI) says.

APHI Deputy Chairman Hendro Prastowo was quoted by Antara yesterday as saying that the announcement would be made later this month, but he declined to give a specific date.

He also would not to go into details about the number of concessionaires which would be considered ready for eco-labeling, saying that many were still being assessed.

Hendro pointed out, however, that the announcement did not mean a concessionaire was fit to receive an eco-labeling certificate indicating its environmentally-sound forest management.

"It just implies that the concessionaire is ready to meet the requirements," he said.

The eco-label will, in the next century, become a prerequisite for producers of tropical timber to gain access to the markets in certain consumer countries.

Director General of Forest Utilization Titus Sarijanto said last November that Indonesia has been classified by the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) as one of the countries most prepared to meet eco-labeling requirements.

Ghana and Malaysia were also considered to practice sound forestry management.

Titus said at that time that more than 50 Indonesian forest concessionaires were being assessed for their readiness to meet eco-labeling requirements.

Since early 1970s, when the government started giving forest concessions to companies, 111 concessions have been revoked due to poor forest management. Currently, 491 forest concessionaires operate in the country. (pwn)