1 TRANSLATION OF THE PROCEEDINGS AND ... - APFA News

4. To enhance sustainable use of forest resources by balancing
commercial utilization with environmental conservation, and,
5. To generate employment and enhance the income of Bhutanese citizens
from the forest resources.
The Minister reminded the Assembly that until the introduction of the new
policy, 4 different categories of timber including rural, urban, industrial and
export were marketed with substantial difference in prices.
With the introduction of the new policy, only two categories of timber were to
be marketed, namely, rural timber with concession and commercial timber.
Under the new reform, the following changes were introduced:
All timber sales for urban and industrial consumption are carried out through
auction.
The price of the timber is determined by market forces as opposed to the
timber price fixed by the Department of Forestry Services in the past.
Export of logs, sawn timber, firewood and semi-finished products were to be
banned to ensure availability for domestic consumption and to facilitate
sustainable exploitation of forest resources.
The Minister pointed out that one of the key elements of the revised timber
marketing and pricing policy was to continue the existing policy of supplying
subsidized timber for rural house constructions. In this connection, the
Lhengye Zhungtshog had felt the need to study the realistic requirement of
timber and other forest produce by the rural population and had accordingly
instructed the Agriculture Ministry to conduct a study. In compliance with the
above directive, an intra-ministerial committee consisting of 5 officers was
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