Logs exports rose by a whopping 80% in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year and the revelation contradicts Minister of Finance Dr. Ashni Singh who in his mid-year report on the economy attributed the 31.3% increase in timber export earnings to “an expansion in plywood exports.”
The log export figures will underline growing concerns that logs are pouring out of the country in large numbers destined to China and India.
“Log exports rose 80% and account for over 70% of all wood product exports,” the International Tropical Timber Organiza-tion (ITTO) said in its bi-weekly report citing figures supplied by the Guyana Forestry Commis-sion (GFC). Stabroek News has been trying to obtain log export figures for some time now but the authorities have refused to provide these numbers.
Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Robert Persaud when contacted recently said that he was travelling