Tag Archives: Manasseh Sogavare.

Nature Care

Solomon Islands’ Logging Curtail

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Gov’t to limit round log exports

THE government is in a move to reduce the round log export in the next 4 years to a sustainable rate, says Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare.

He stated this when highlighting the importance of the trip by Government officials to China, which is to do a timber trade survey.

He stated that the timber trade survey is important to the Ministry of Forestry as the Government is in a position to implement the 50cm diameter limit for all round logs exports. 

The Ministry of Forestry is part of the government team led by the Ministry of Finance and Treasury’s Economic Reform Unit that usually negotiate the Determined Values quarterly. 

With the recent trip, he said the Ministry of Forestry needs to understand the demand on the ground. 

“The issue of descending log prices is paramount to discuss with round log buyers and industries/factories and negotiating direct sales to factories is important if we want to maximize revenue from round log export,” the Prime Minister stated. 

Mr Sogavare further reiterated that the investigation on other processed timber producers market will also be raised with log buyers and factory buyers and adds that the visitation to industries and furniture factories are important to discuss and understand on the ground, especially the timber quality and properties of added value timber products.

Having both parties on the ground understanding the trade in China can assist both parties to make better decisions that benefits all stakeholders of logging business. 

“This is a Win-Win situation for all including the resource owners,” he stated.

The Ministry of Forestry has participated on this trip in 2018 and have increased their participation this year by including the Minister and the Commissioner. 

While in China, other trade opportunities will be looked into including non-timber forest products.

The trip is jointly funded by the Solomon Islands Government through the Ministry of Forestry and the Sustainable Forest Association.

The DCGA is committed to the delivery of ongoing and prospective policy priorities in the interests of peace, national stability and economic advancement.

Source: SSNews

Melanesia

Descendants of Solomons’ slaves looking forward to dual citizenship

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The descendants of Solomon Islands’ slave labourers living in Fiji say they hope dual citizenship legislation being proposed in the Solomons will help them reconnect with long lost relatives.

In the mid-nineteenth century more than 60,000 Pacific Islanders from Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Niue were coerced to work on canefields in Australia and Fiji through trickery and kidnapping, a practice known as Blackbirding.

A Solomon Islands government delegation doing consultations in Melanesia this week on dual citizenship met with leaders of descendants of blackbirded Solomon Islanders living in Fiji.

Chris Waiwori from the Dual-Citizenship Taskforce
Chris Waiwori from the Dual-Citizenship Taskforce Photo: PM Press Office

The secretary of the dual citizenship task force, Chris Waiwori, described the meeting as an emotional one during which community leaders told the delegation they appreciated the move towards dual citizenship and saw it as another avenue for them to try and mend their broken links to Solomon Islands.

The taskforce is now in PNG for the final leg of its consultations having earlier also visited Vanuatu.

A final round of local consultations on the dual citizenship bill will be done when the taskforce returns to Honiara before a final draft of the bill is submitted to cabinet.

The Solomon Islands prime minister Manasseh Sogavare had previously said he aimed to have the bill tabled in parliament early next year.

Source: RNZ