The Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), recently signed an agreement for a G$6M grant which will be used to determine the feasibility of establishing a Consolidated Log Yard (CLY) operation in Guyana.
The approach to this study will be through a consultative process involving key stakeholders such as forest sector operators, Government agencies, civil society, indigenous organisations and other non-governmental organisations.
The establishment of any CLY should have as its intended purpose to improve growth within the forestry sector in an open marketplace and as a clearing house for legally produced timber that meet the needs of the local and international markets, the Association said today.
The GMSA added that only timber products which are compliant with Guyana’s Timber Legality Assurance System (GTLAS) should be traded through such a facility. The facility’s adherence to the GTLAS will engender enhanced confidence in the legality of wood products on the local and international markets. Through research and consultations with the key stakeholders, various models will be examined for suitability to Guyana’s context and within the framework of the National Forest Policy.
In addition, a Consolidated Log Yard can support the Guyana-EU Joint Implementation Framework for the FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) in the specific areas of marketing and promoting legal timber and timber products. It was based on these ideals that the FAO-EU FLEGT Programme has agreed to support the feasibility study and has approved the grant which will be used by GMSA over a period of six months.
