{"id":26338,"date":"2025-02-08T23:46:08","date_gmt":"2025-02-08T23:46:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncnguyana.com\/2023\/?p=26338"},"modified":"2025-02-08T23:46:09","modified_gmt":"2025-02-08T23:46:09","slug":"guyana-poised-to-attain-flegt-license-to-boost-forestry-sector-exports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncnguyana.com\/2023\/guyana-poised-to-attain-flegt-license-to-boost-forestry-sector-exports\/","title":{"rendered":"Guyana Poised to Attain FLEGT License to Boost Forestry Sector Exports"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"fb-root\"><\/div>\n\n<p><em>By Delicia Janneire | January 14, 2025<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Guyana is making significant strides toward obtaining its FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade) License, a certification that will open new market opportunities for businesses within the forestry sector. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, provided an update on the country\u2019s efforts to meet the necessary criteria for the prestigious certification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The FLEGT License, once granted, will allow Guyanese exporters to be officially recognized by the European Union (EU) as meeting strict environmental, legal, and sustainability standards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This achievement will enhance the country\u2019s reputation as a timber producer and help ensure that forest products can be traced back to their legal sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Minister Bharrat indicated that Guyana is on track to secure the FLEGT License within the next year or year and a half, making it one of the few countries globally to receive the certification through the EU\u2019s FLEGT program. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He emphasized that the certification will not only bolster the timber sector\u2019s international standing but also promote sustainable practices and legal compliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The government is also promoting the growth of value-added businesses within the sector, encouraging the establishment of sawmills and furniture shops in forested communities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Minister Bharrat noted that these initiatives are essential for maintaining low deforestation rates and ensuring the long-term viability of the forestry sector. The sector currently employs over 25,000 Guyanese, both directly and indirectly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2024, stakeholders in the forestry sector recorded significant improvements, with recovery rates climbing to 75%, up from 40% in 2020. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Production also saw a boost, with an increase of over 20,000 cubic meters and the establishment of 12 new lumber yards and more than 25 new sawmills. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, communities such as Orealla, Siparuta, and Ituni have benefited from the expansion of value-added businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Looking ahead, the ministry plans to explore the cultivation of bamboo in mined-out areas, which could further support the growth and diversification of the forestry sector.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Delicia Janneire | January 14, 2025 Guyana is making significant strides toward obtaining its FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade) License, a certification that will open new market&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":24878,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[350],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26338","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncnguyana.com\/2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26338","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncnguyana.com\/2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncnguyana.com\/2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncnguyana.com\/2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncnguyana.com\/2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26338"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ncnguyana.com\/2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26338\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26339,"href":"https:\/\/ncnguyana.com\/2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26338\/revisions\/26339"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncnguyana.com\/2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncnguyana.com\/2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncnguyana.com\/2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncnguyana.com\/2023\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}