The Bua Urban Youth Network (BUYN) hopes good sense prevails over issues between pine landowners and Fiji Pine Ltd.
A meeting between the two parties held this week in Labasa has resulted in the company demanding to revoke harvesting licences of sawmillers in the North working on overplanted areas.
The landowners have refused to release the 268.27 hectares of overplanted area. In a statement, the BUYN has described the situation as an added threat to the landowners.
“BUYN would also like to call on UN agencies and development partners that have come to the aid of Fijian people to remind our leaders about the importance of do no harm to communities, even more so these communities that are still reeling from the impacts of a Category 5 cyclone,” the BUYN said in the statement.
“This harm began in 1976 with leasing land for pine at only five cents an acre and this has seen these community leaders seeing the only sensible way of sharing lease money was to buy a bag of sugar and salt to distribute to all households.
“These landowners, in their resiliency began discussions in earnest with sawmillers operating in the area negotiating up to $35 per log, the value of a standing pine tree.”
The group is concerned that this move is aimed at monopolising pine sales and dictating prices for pine growing on land that Fiji Pine has not leased.
“What’s even more concerning is that Fiji Pine, with the support of the Ministry of Forestry, has thought it was wise to issue new directives for pine logging to the worst impacted communities in Fiji post STC Yasa, making it even challenging to build back better.
“BUY Network is both alarmed and disappointed by Fiji Pine’s decision to bring up this issue on overplanted pine at a time when impacted communities are still recovering from the devastation of STC Yasa across all the nine districts of Bua.”
