The Unsung Hero Fuelling Fiji’s Economy

The Forestry Sector is among the 21 industries that drive Fiji’s economy.

The forestry and logging industry contributing approximately $31.1 million in 2022 alone, Minister for Forestry Alitia Bainivalu revealed.

This is equivalent to 0.3 per cent of Fiji’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Ms Bainivalu made the statement while addressing the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) Conference in Macao, China this week.

She added that while Fiji was not a log exporter, it processed all of its round wood production into sawn wood and woodchips, the two main products.

“Woodchips are for exports while sawn wood is targeted for both the domestic and export markets,” Ms Bainivalu said.

“In 2022, total domestic export earnings were estimated at $1.1 billion with the forestry sector contributing around 6.8 per cent, equivalent to $93.0 million,” she said.

She said Fiji has been fortunate that Government, even before independence in 1970, had the foresight to invest in forestry plantations, using two fast growing exotic species in pine and in mahogany.

“Our plantation efforts have been quite successful to the extent that we now have two commercial forest plantation companies, jointly owned by Government and landowners; one managing pine and the other looking after mahogany.

“The basic philosophy was to support the establishment and maintenance of a sustainable timber industry serving both the domestic and export markets with a reduced contribution from our natural forests.

“Indeed production from natural forests has been declining for a number of years and currently contributed only 3 per cent of the national total production, with the balance coming from forest plantations of mahogany and pine which contributed 6 per cent and 91 per cent respectively.

“The mahogany plantation is expected to double its production the next 18-24 months, increasing our total wood production to close to 600,000 cubic meters per annum,” she said.

“With most of the remaining natural forests expected to be reserved and managed for non-wood uses and services, all the wood produced are expected to be sourced almost totally from plantations.”

Challenges

Ms Bainivalu said a major challenge to the sector was climate change.

“For example, the clear division between the wet and dry seasons is no longer happening, making it difficult to properly plan and carry out plantation establishment and harvesting.

“Longer dry weather and increasing temperatures are significantly increasing the risks of forest fires, which have been a major issue with our pine plantations. And added to that is the uncertainty of our main plantation species in coping with the changing weather patterns due to climate change.

“Given that all our commercial plantations are of a single species, the risks are much greater, including the incursion of pests and diseases.”

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