Serafina Silaitoga
16 February, 2021, 10:15 pm
Minister for Forests Osea Naiqamu led his team in the clearing of debris in Bua post-TC Yasa. Picture: Facebook/Ministry of Forests
Vanua Levu Landowners Association chairman Tevita Raiova says a statement last week by Minister for Forestry Osea Naiqamu that pine harvesting licences for private sawmillers were revoked to “control flooding” contradicted the contents of letters issued to the millers more than two weeks ago.
Mr Raiova claims Fiji Pine Ltd wanted to control overplanted pine forests in Bua so it could meet a six-shipment quota of pine chips to China.
He claimed the reason private sawmillers licences were revoked was to enable full access to the overplanted areas to FPL.
Serafina Silaitoga
Workers harvest pine in Navuniyevu
area in Bua.
Picture: SERAFINA SILAITOGA
FIJI Pine Ltd CEO Vimlesh Kumar says they own the overplanted areas in Bua and have the best interest of landowners at heart.
His recent statement, however, contradicts letters written to landowners last year where Mr Kumar said the overplanted areas were outside the company’s lease boundary.
Last month, Mr Kumar told this newspaper that, “There can be no doubt though, particularly on the part of the relevant mataqali, owners of the overplanted areas, that the pine stock belongs to Fiji Pine”.
This has been disputed by a few landowning clans in Bua who received confirmation letters from Fiji Pine Ltd where it agreed to their request to harvest the overplanted areas because it was outside the company’s lease.