Partners work to find options for wood processing

INITIATIVES by government agencies and institutions to reinforce the national government’s downstream wood processing policy is ongoing, an official says.
Deputy principal of the University of Technology’s Timber and Forestry Training College Charles Tsiritsi said the PNG Forest Authority was to implement and enforce the policy which gave birth to the idea of a central processing unit.
“The aim of the unit is to ensure that small sawmillers and landowners are able to sell their sawn timber which can be further processed,” Tsiritsi said.
The PNG Forest Authority proposal was included in an Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research project.
“The business case was to prepare and analyse the proposed options and determine which model or concept is most appropriate.”
Project leader Professor Barbara Ozarska from the Faculty of Science at the University of Melbourne said the development of a business plan and the preliminary production trials revealed that an opportunity existed.
“The central processing unit can become a viable system which would provide opportunities to landowners to increase their profit by selling their timber for further processing into value-added products and be involved in value-adding processes,” Ozarska said.
“It has been estimated that funding of K1.4 million for infrastructure and equipment is needed from government or donor organisations to ensure the CPU could operate as a successful commercial unit.”
“Currently, there are no markets nor large demand for usable short length timbers (waste timber as it is commonly referred to) in Lae and Papua New Guinea.”