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Agencies import timber for construction in Aceh

Source
Jakarta Post - January 14, 2006

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – A number of international relief organizations have been forced to import timber to build houses for tsunami survivors whose homes were destroyed in the catastrophe.

The decision to import timber was taken due to the scarcity of logs from sustainable forests in the country.

Chief operating officer for the Aceh Reconstruction Consortium (ARC), Arian Ardie, said they had faced problems in getting local timber because there were only a few businesspeople dealing with timber from sustainable forests.

Arian said that timber traders in Indonesia, including those from Aceh, preferred to export logs from commercial forests rather than selling them on the domestic market.

"Maybe the price of Indonesian timber is much higher overseas. We have to use imported timber to meet the requirements for construction material in Aceh," Arian told The Jakarta Post. He was speaking on Thursday during an inspection of imported timber from Australia by Oxfam International at one of its warehouses in Medan.

The ARC has imported 640 cubic meters of timber from Australia for Oxfam International. The timber, of the Australian radiata pine variety, will be sent to Aceh soon.

Oxfam's national media officer in Banda Aceh, Yon Thayrun, said the imported timber cost US$200,000, and that it would be dispatched to Aceh Besar, to build 300 homes for displaced people.

"Timber from Australia is suitable for house construction because it can last for up to 20 years," said Yon, adding that Oxfam was ready to add to the volume of imported timber for reconstruction purposes when needed.

"We have made a commitment not to use illegal timber for the reconstruction program in Aceh. When possible, and if it's not damaging to the forests, Oxfam would certainly prioritize timber from Indonesia, including from Aceh," said Yon.

Arian said the ARC recently dispatched 250 cubic meters of imported timber from Australia to Meulaboh, prior to sending Oxfam's consignment.

He said the ARC needed at least 400,000 cubic meters of timber for reconstruction purposes in Aceh, far less than the volume targeted by the Aceh-Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency of one million cubic meters.

"We need 4,000 cubic meters of wood over the next three months. More than half of the required amount will be imported, while the remaining supply is expected to come from southern Aceh, North Sumatra, Riau and Kalimantan," said Arian, without citing the number of houses to be built with that amount of timber.

In response to whether they faced any problems with import procedures, Arian said, "We hope there won't be any problems, especially when the consignment arrives in Belawan Port. It usually takes a few days to arrange import documents to take the timber out of the port."

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