Govt to control exports of wood products
Govt to control exports of wood products
JAKARTA (JP): The government plans to ban exports of wood
products made of materials derived from unsoundly managed
forests, Minister of Forestry Djamaludin Suryohadikusumo said.
"By 1997 we'd like to see that all wood-based manufacturers
only export products originating from sustainably managed
forests," the minister was quoted by Antara yesterday.
He also said sanctions should be imposed on wood-based
manufacturers involved in the trading of unauthorized logs.
However, Djamaludin said, his statement was merely a
"proposal".
According to regulations, all international transactions of
wood-based products, especially of plywood, are controlled by the
Association of Wood Panel Producers, which is chaired by
industrialist Mohammad (Bob) Hasan.
No association executives were available for comment
yesterday.
The minister also said he'd like his idea to be applied
starting this year.
"Possibly, starting this year, we could cut by 50 percent the
export quotas of wood-based manufacturers who obtain their
products unlawfully," he said.
He added that by 1996 this could be extended by a further 25
percent cut in the export quotas.
In 1997, the quotas should be scrapped altogether for guilty
parties, he said.
Djamaludin said his idea is meant to control timber production
as well as price fluctuations.
Decline
The minister remarked that plywood prices are currently "on
the decline", which has affected Indonesia's export revenues.
Indonesia produces around 10 million cubic meters of plywood
annually.
Latest government figures, obtained Wednesday night from the
Ministry of Finance, state that plywood export revenues in the
January-September period of last year fell by nine percent to
US$2.8 billion from the corresponding period in 1993.
It was only last month when Minister of Industry Tunky
Ariwibowo announced that plywood exports dropped by 0.8 percent
to $3.78 billion in the January-August period of last year, from
the same period in the previous year.
Djamaludin said that economic recession and rising competition
from Malaysia and Brazil are the main reasons for the significant
drop.
The minister said that declines in plywood prices will
discourage producers to practice sustainable forestry management.
(hdj)