Ministry defends plan for timber stockyard

The Ministry of Natural Resources has defended plans for a public-private partnership for a timber stockyard.

In statement on Wednes-day in response to criticism of the plan, the Ministry said that the Government had conceptualised the creation of a dimension stockyard through a Private Public Partnership that would assure a reliable supply of quality timber products to the domestic and export market without competing directly with the private sector.

The ministry said that it is important to note that it was the private sector that proposed this facility as an initiative to improve growth in the sector. Last year, the release said that the Minister of Finance took the initiative of meeting the forestry sector representatives in conjunction with the Ministry of Natural Resources to  better understand the challenges and to find ways of stimulating growth within the sector. Technical input was provided by the Guy-ana Manufacturing and Services Association and the Guyana Forestry Com-mission.

The ministry statement said that