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Minister of Forestry Bans Imported Woods for Aceh’s Rehabilitation
Saturday, 11 June, 2005 | 14:36 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:The need for wood in Aceh’s rehabilitation in Aceh post tsunami waves will be supplied from domestic sources.

Therefore, the government will not allow any wood to be purchased from foreign countries.

“Indonesia does not lack wood for Aceh’s rehabilitation following the tsunami disaster. If anyone is willing to donate wood, they will be much welcomed,” said Indonesian Minister of Forestry M.S. Kaban during a working meeting with House of Representatives (DPR Commission IV) at the legislature complex in Jakarta on Monday (06/06).

Kaban said it was estimated that the wood required for Aceh’s rehabilitation over five years will be seven million cubic meters.

Currently, the quota of wooden logs every year has reached 5.6 million cubic meters.

“Therefore, to fulfill the need for wood in Aceh, the government needs to increase the lob quota by eight million cubic meters in 2006,” Kaban stated.

To increase the supply of logs, Kaban said that it was better to impose a soft-landing policy of speeding planted forest development and making use of wood from natural forests rather to extend logging areas.

“The wood used to rehabilitate Aceh should not just include pine, meranti, teak and merbau but also coconut,” said Kaban. (Rini Kustiani-Tempo News Room)