Forestry earns K505million for economy

By SAMPSON BONAI
THE forestry sector this year generated more than K350 million in foreign exchange earnings, paid more than K120 million in taxes and levies and delivered over K35million in royalties to landowners.
This was gleamed from the keynote address of Forest Minister Belden Namah read for him by PNG National Forest Authority Kanawi Pouru before the graduating students of the Timber and Forestry Training Collge (TFTC) at the Bumbu campus of the University of Technology in Lae.
“The forestry sector continued to play its part in delivering tangible development benefits to the rural and less-developed areas throughout PNG. “It continued to compliment the Government’s rural development efforts by contributing to job generation and building roads and bridges
“The sector also provided new community services such as schools, health, communications and transport services in many remote and less-developed areas.
“As a developing country, we would focus on our domestic development aspirations and desires ahead of other interests,” Mr Namah said.
He said the changing trends in the domestic and global timber trade and climate change had to change because trading of forest products in the last 50 years would not be the same in the next 50 years.
TFTC principal Andrew Tagamasau commended the New Zealand government for its continually supporting the college.
He said the college would receive another K80,000 from New Zealand to build a another female dormitory next month.
Thirty-three students graduated with certificates in pre-employment technical training in wood machining while four females graduated as small sawmill cadets.