Logs deal ‘not best’ for PNG
21/5/07
Papua New Guinea is getting less for its round log exports, Mendi MP Isaac Joseph told Parliament yesterday. Mr Joseph raised the matter during Question Time and asked if the Government was aware there were a lot of discrepancies in the export of PNG logs to China in particular, and specifically claimed Hong Kong statistics for logs imported from PNG was much smaller than that registered in the PNG export statistics. Mr Joseph said that for 2000 registered only 25 cubic metres of logs were imported from PNG. “This discrepancy indicates the possible use of Hong Kong as a port of reference by exporting companies and that documents are later re-issued in Hong Kong for another port and importer,” Mr Joseph said. But Forest Minister Belden Namah, in his response, fell short in explaining why the country was receiving less for its round logs exports.