Local sawmills and lumberyards are habitually in breach of the regulations governing the sale of timber, which sometimes have a serious impact on consumer satisfaction, officials of the Guyana Forest Producers Association (GFPA) have told Stabroek Business.
Regulations enshrined in the Timber Marketing Act of 1975 pertaining to a range of issues including grading, preservation and marketing of wood are being routinely flouted by millers and lumberyard dealers, who act in flagrant violation of the law.
Chapter 67:04 of the Timber Marketing Act requires that sales of timber “described or held out as graded timer” not be sold “unless the timber has been graded in accordance with approved grading rules and marked or branded by an approved timber grader…”
President of the GFPA Hilbertus Cort told Stabroek Business that it was not uncommon for timber to be sold without the conditions prescribed in the law being met. He said the regulations also provided for sawmills and lumberyards to have qualified graders, but too often, this was not the case.
The law also prescribes that timber should conform “with all the specifications, at the time of sale, as to moisture content approved, from time to time, as may be prescribed” and that those details be “clearly shown on the invoice of sale or is clearly stated on the offer of sale.”
Stabroek Business visited two lumberyards in the city where timber with obvious defects and which appeared not to be properly dried was being sold to customers. One contractor, who was present at one of the lumberyards, told this newspaper that while he was aware of the regulations, the purchases he was making were being undertaken with the approval of the person who had contracted him to do the job for which the timber was being ordered.
Cort told Stabroek Business that revelations regarding sawmills and lumberyards’ failure to comply with regulations on the grading and certification of timber being offered for sale were nothing new. Though he said he was aware that the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC), which has responsibility for ensuring industry adherence with the regulations carries out verification checks.
In response to a request sent to the GFC for a comment on the concerns expressed, a statement from the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment said the GFC had identified quality and standards as being among the factors “that impact on the effective marketing of forest products”.
The statement said the commission had continually and publicly pointed to the need for sawmills, lumberyards to operate in a more structured manner in keeping with guidelines already established.
It said that those initiatives had been followed up by meetings with sawmillers and lumberyard owners and at the level of the GFPA.
The statement said the GFC, apart from instituting a Code of Practice “specifically for sawmills and lumberyards, had facilitated the training and certification of over 300 private sector timber graders.”
However, one of the contractors who agreed to speak with this newspaper said that the GFC’s initiatives have been unable to “halt entirely” the irregular practices in the industry. “Tagging, for example, is an issue. There are still several lumberyards that ignore the Forestry Commission’s requirement. Then you have issues like air-drying which are also ignored by several lumberyards and sawmills.
The contractor said that “part of the problem has to do with them (the GFC) not carrying out regular inspections in some cases.”
Sawmills and lumberyards are required under the law to be licensed by the GFC and according to the ministry’s statement, forest produce entering sawmills and lumberyards are routinely monitored for legality.
It said the GFC undertakes monitoring visits during which it verifies the lumber by size, quality and species. However, even this newspaper has seen examples of absence of compliance with the regulations.
Meanwhile, with regard to stories of being sold poor quality lumber related to this newspaper the ministry’s statement said consumers have “an option/choice to request of the GFC, or any certified grader, to verify the grade and quality that he/she wishes to purchase.” Additionally, the statement said, “In some cases an agreement is reached between the producer and buyer for a certain product with certain specifications that are not covered by the grading rules.”
Another contractor with whom this newspaper spoke said breaches of the law within the sector had to do with the inability of sawmills and lumberyards to meet the requirements of customers and instances of customers not being familiar with the trade. “What you would find is that some sawmills focus on consigning high-quality timber to the export market so that we have to take what is left. Sometimes when you have a job to do you simply make do with the best of what is available.” He said a common problem in the sector had to do with timber which has not been dried properly.
According to the contractor, consumers frequently become the victims of “bad deals” because they attempt to engage sawmills and lumberyards on their own in an effort to secure the best deals. “In this business, what might appear to be the best deal may often turn out to be a disaster,” the contractor said. Cort confirmed that there are cases in which lumber is purchased on sight.
One lumberyard manager, who declined to be identified, conceded that the practice of selling ungraded timber had become commonplace, asserting simply that “we sell what we buy from the sawmill.”
Asked whether a grader was part of his operation he would only say that he was satisfied that his business sold a good product to customers.
Cort told Stabroek Business that the problem of delinquent lumberyards was a long-standing one and they had been given enough time to put their houses in order. He said he was aware that some yards had actually been closed, after being found in breach of the regulations. Cort said the GFPA will be commencing a sensitization process this year designed to ensure that sawmills and lumberyards are aware of the regulations.
