Laid-off Barama workers could receive small forest concessions

Nov 11, 2016 News

Government is studying a number of options for the 1.6 million hectares of forests that Barama Company Limited (BCL) has relinquished.
Speaking yesterday at the administration’s weekly post-Cabinet briefings at the

Barama’s Land of Canaan operations. A number of its sawmills here have already been closed.

Ministry of the Presidency, Minister of State Joseph Harmon disclosed that among the options being considered is the release of small concessions of Barama’s forest lands to former staffers who had lost their jobs.
Government could also be open to the possibility of cooperatives being formed by Guyanese to benefit from the relinquished forests, Harmon said.
Already, Government has received a number of expressions of interest from both foreign and local parties for commercial activities in the area.
The matter of Barama’s concessions came up on Tuesday during the weekly Cabinet meeting.
During that meeting, Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, briefed the ministers of the decision last month by Barama to exit its forest operations and concentrate instead on its plywood production and other value-added activities.
According to Harmon, the Minister presented a number of options for alternative uses of the land as well as plans to address the welfare of the workers of the company who have been affected by the decision not to renew the Timber Sales Agreement (TSA).
Based on the presentation by Trotman, the Cabinet had appointed a sub-committee of several ministers to study the options for the 1.6 million hectares of forest and to decide on a way forward.
The sub-committee includes the Ministers of Natural Resources, Business, Indigenous People’s Affairs and Social Protection.
The ministers are to make recommendations on the feasibility of the options presented by Trotman for possible implementation, Harmon disclosed yesterday. They have until this month-end to report back to the Cabinet.
Barama’s forestry concessions were the biggest by a single company in Guyana. The Malaysian-owned business came here in 1990s and at the height of its logging and related activities had over 1200 workers. It had been engaging the new administration since last year for a renewal of its licences but changed its mind this year after world prices affected operations.
The company had operations in Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara and Buckhall, Essequibo River.
The company has said that the relinquishing of its forest holdings will see employment losses of up to 500 persons. Many of the staffers have already gone home.
Barama was considered the biggest player in the timber industry and was one of the two biggest investors- along with the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company- back in the ‘90s.