Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat has urged workers in the logging and mining industry to assist the government to deter illegal activities within the sectors.
The call to action was made at a meeting on Thursday at Watooka Guest House during government’s outreach in Region Ten.
“When we have illegal logging, illegal mining, it takes away a lot of revenue from the country. It creates unfair competition to you because a contractor will go and purchase illegal lumber at a cheaper rate rather than purchasing from you because you are paying royalties, you are paying all your taxes and everything. They can afford to sell cheaper because they pay nothing,” Bharrat was quoted as saying in a Department of Public Information (DPI) report.