The Myanmar government will reduce the
production of timber logs from the forests in Taninthayi Region
beginning April next year, a local timber company said.
About 3,000 tons of timber logs are
annually produced from the region, and plans are under way to export
finished wood products in a bid to reduce logging.
“These timber logs are from Khihta in
Mitta Sub-township, Dawei District. They are not from a road
construction site involved in Dawei Special Economic Zone project,” said
Khin Zaw Min, director of Dawei Minthamee Company.
“It is true our company worked for the
construction of the road linking Dawei and Thailand. We have been
producing timber logs since 2007. This year, the government permitted us
to produce 1500 tons. We have loaded 1200 tons of timber logs to the
vessel, bound for Yangon. In Dawei, our company and Kaung Myat Company
are engaged in logging as contractors. These logs are owned by Myanmar
Timber Enterprise, which will then export them to foreign countries,” he
added.
China is a major importer of Myanmar’s
timber logs and Dawei Minthamee Co mainly produces ‘Padauk’ logs, which
are valued at about 2 million kyats per ton, he said.
According to the government’s new
policy, the production of timber logs will be halted in coming years and
the deputy minister for environmental conservation and forestry
directed the reduction in logging during his recent trip to the region,
he continued.
“We plan to build a factory in Mitta
Township. Our finished wood products will be exported to Thailand. Upon
completion of the factory, there will be more jobs for local people,”
Khin Zaw Min said.
The forests in Taninthayi Region have
been severely depleted year by year due to mining, legal and illegal
logging and clearing up of forest areas for regional development
projects.
source: Eleven Myanmar
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