Wood industry ‘needs’ capacity

THE wood-processing industry in the country lacks the capacity to process forest products, according to a senior PNG National Forest Authority staffer.
Director forest policy and planning, Dr Ruth Turia, said the challenge was on Government to make that happen.
“The onus is now on the Government to try and build necessary infrastructure to enhance downstream processing of forest products in the country,” she said.
“We can have policies that aim at achieving
this and we talk more about it, but if we do not do something practical, then nothing really happens here.”
Turia said if it meant that Government had to subsidise a company, it had to do that.
She said Government was trying to have a central processing unit where downstream processing could be done.
“This is where local landowners come in,” Turia said.
“They can commercialise their forest products.”
She said downstream processing of timber brought more money to landowners than exporting of round logs.