The Forest Products Development and Marketing Council of Guyana Inc (FPDMC) recently hosted a forum for stakeholders aimed at garnering broader inputs in order to advance the industry.

According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) press release Chair of the Board Merlin Udho said the forum arose out of the need to engage and interact with stakeholders who are directly involved in the forestry industry. She said though the board comprised a diverse group of persons, broader inputs were necessary for the way forward.

“Basically we have to look at re-positioning and re-engineering,” she said, considering the current financial situation which has resulted in a loss of markets and investments and puts jobs at stake. She said too the industry needed to “look inwards” if it is to be competitive. Udho said despite the negatives many opportunities still abound in the sector. She urged stakeholders to collaborate to maximise them.

Meanwhile, Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud told the meeting that despite the global financial downturn the demand for some wood products has increased; particularly dressed lumber. In the light of this, adjustments needed to be made. The minister said the two per cent commission on exports that government has removed has also given the industry a significant boost.

Persaud said the FPDMC was on the right course as Guyana has a significant amount of forestry resources that can be utilized but stakeholders must be consistent with the long-term needs of the industry. For this reason, much emphasis has been placed on sustainable forestry management by the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) and support for this initiative has been garnered from international agencies.

The GFC is seeking to achieve international standards. As regards the guidelines the GFC has set out Persaud said he is satisfied that they are appropriate and relevant to ensuring the viability of forestry resources. A manual of the guidelines has been handed over to stakeholders. GINA also said the GFC has been making significant progress with compliance regarding extraction, an area of much concern.

The release also said the International Tropical Timber Organisation had been tasked with looking at the difficulties in the industry and making recommendations. The FPDMC is a product of one of the recommendations. In the latter half of 2007, several key forest sector stakeholders requested that there be a thorough review of the Council’s mandate and board composition to allow for private sector representation.

A national consultation was held in February 2008 which resulted in the formulation of the FPDMC with a board of directors comprising five representatives each from the private sector and the government, along with an independent chairperson.

The Council has been tasked with a number of responsibilities including aggressively engaging diversification, product development, promotion of lesser used species, branding, marketing, training and enforcing standards.