The Minister of Forestry in Solomon Islands is encouraging resource owners to engage in downstream processing of marketable trees to add value to their natural resource.
Job Duddley Tausinga also emphasized reforestation in heavily logged areas to minimize the disastrous effects of unsustainable timber harvesting.
The Minister made the remarks when he received timber milling and reforestation equipment on behalf of the Solomon Islands Government from the Republic of China, Taiwan in Honiara yesterday.
The equipment, which included portable sawmills and reforestation tools, is part of a 1-point-7 million US dollar project funded by Taiwan for Reforestation and Sustainable Development throughout Solomon Islands.
The equipment will soon be distributed to successful timber milling project applicants, who applied to through the Ministry of Forestry earlier this year.
Solomon Islands depends heavily on round log exports which stood at 1.5 million cubic meters in 2007, which is four times the annual allowable rate.
