Borikhamxay provincial authorities have cancelled the business operations of 13 wood processing plants after finding that they had permanently ceased their processing operations for many years and that some were in violation of the law.
The cancellation of the plants was reported at a recent meeting to discuss and research the adaptation of wood processing plants in the province.
The provincial Industry and Commerce Department’s Industry and Handicrafts Section Head Mr. Kingphet Chanthasone said that the authorities launched inspections into the operations of 46 wood processing plants in Viengthong and Borikhan districts in May.
The inspections found that many plants failed to meet the required standards while others stopped their operations for many years after they received business licences from the department.
After the inspection, the department made a proposal to provincial authorities to shut down some 13 wood processing plants that were in violation of the relevant laws.
The department has allowed 33 remaining plants to improve and continue their operations, and these plants will have between three months to one year to demonstrate their improvement, depending on conditions.
Actually, the province has begun examining wood processing plants in order to meet the required standards and regulations since 2006 and many business operators have so far improved their plants.
Provincial authorities launched an inspection into the operations of the plants in a move to enforce the Prime Ministerial Order issued in May to combat widespread illegal logging.
The measures include prohibiting the export of unfinished wood products, inspecting all businesses that utilise timber and wood, and upgrading wood processing plants to improve the quality of wood products turned out.
Currently, there are 84 wood processing plants in the province but only seven meet the required standards.
The remaining plants need to continue their improvement. The authorities will start inspections into the operations of another 38 plants in the five districts of Xaychamphone, Khamkeuth, Pakkading, Pakxan and Thaphabath in the middle of this month.
This inspection will focus on plants near reserved forests, with GPS systems to be set up within plant areas.
Meanwhile Xayaboury provincial authorities have found more than 100 plants in that province also failed to meet the required standards.
The authorities reported that after the inspections they found only four wood processing and furniture plants met the standards set by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, while some 116 plants failed to do so.
The measures include prohibiting the export of unfinished wood products, inspecting all businesses that utilise timber and wood, and upgrading wood processing plants to improve the quality of wood products.
Source: Vientiane Times
