Processed timber exporters in Papua New Guinea have labelled a Dutch timber marketing expert “ignorant” for failing to spot their country’s transition from log exporter into value-added wood processor.
The Papua New Guinea Forest Industries Association (PNGFIA) attacked Rolf Thie after he called for a “swift” reduction in log exports in favour of downsream processing and sustainable forest management.
PNGFIA’s figures show the value of processed wood products has risen 400% in the past five years.
The organisation’s executive officer Bob Tate said it was a well-known fact that value-adding was the industry’s future, as it could no longer compete with low-cost log producers using plantation timber.
He said one third of the industry was dedicated to processing, which he predicted to increase to 50% in the next three to five years. He said log exports to Japan could disappear within two years.
Mr Thie, called in by the Papua New Guinea Forest Authority to advise on future forestry operations, called for a marketing plan to ensure high quality logs are available for the local timber industry through reducing exports.
Downstream processing would provide more employment for young people, he said, and he stressed the need for landowner participation at all levels of project development.
