Resource owners must get maximum benefits

PRESS RELEASE

Resource owners must get maximum benefits, Parliament told

The National Parliament has been told the Coalition for National Unity and Rural Advancement Administration will ensure resource owners must get the maximum benefits from their resources.

Prime Minister Dr Derek Sikua says the CNURA Government has mandated five ministries to ensure the policy, namely, the Ministry of Rural Development and Indigenous Affairs, the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Meteorology, the Ministry of Forestry, the Ministry Fisheries and Marine Resources and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development.

He says the Ministry of Rural Development and Indigenous Affairs coordinates rural development and the participation of indigenous people in income generating enterprises while the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Meteorology will ensure the development of people’s resources is in harmony with international conventions.

Dr Sikua says while resource owners must get the maximum benefits from the development of their resources, the long term environmental impacts to the lands must be considered.

He says the Ministry of Forestry is encouraging traditional forest resource owners to mill their forests and enter into downstream operations.

Meanwhile, Forestry Minister Sir Allan Kemakeza said a mechanism is being developed to ensure a fair market price for the trees cut by logging operations from people’s forests, adding to ascertain forest owners get the maximum benefits forestry officials now scrutinise logging applications for licenses and carry out random checks on log ponds to ensure proper records are kept before the logs are shipped overseas.

He says random checks are carried out also to ensure fair prices for the exports.

Sir Allan says the forest resource is important to Solomon Islands therefore it must be guarded by a newly formed Monitoring Division with log monitors being posted throughout the provinces.

Earlier, Prime Minister Dr Sikua said logging operators that breach the Forestry Act must be de-registered.

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