18 June
Myanma Timber Enterprise (MTE) will extract 8,000 tonnes of teak and 200,000 tonnes of hardwood in 2020-2021 fiscal year, a reduction of about 90,000 tonnes of timber compared to that of last FY, said an official from MTE.
“The timber extraction will be reduced every fiscal year. We won’t provide the leasing service in the timber industry. Only one car rental service is left now,” said the official.
According to the official statistics from across the country in 2019-2020FY, a total of 10,000 tonnes of teak and 285,000 tonnes of hardwood were extracted in the country. The timber extraction business was granted to the private sector.
Moreover, such businesses as logging with the use of the elephants, unloading of timber, construction of the roads, and transporting of the logs are granted to the foreign entrepreneurs.
Although the timber production businesses are contracted with the private companies in the previous governments’ period, the timber production is being done with the target for timber production set starting from 2017-2018FY in the incumbent government’s period. The authority of timber extraction is granted only to the local people recently, according to MTE.
Across the country, Sagaing Region is producing ten thousand tonnes of timber annually. Magway, Bago, Taninthayi, Ayeyawady, Shan, Kachin, Chin and Nay Pyi Taw are involved in the list of the high timber extraction.
Aye Cho (Translated by Hay Mar)
