First FLEGT-licensed timber shipments now bound for UK
18 November 2016UK agents, importers and distributors are preparing for the first shipment of FLEGT-licensed Indonesian timber products, with James Latham and Plaut International among those relishing the landmark.
John Yates, managing director of Plaut International attended a ceremony organised by APKINDO (the Indonesia Wood Panel Association) in Jakarta on November 15 to mark the first licensed shipments.
Indonesian producers involved in the first shipment who also attended were Korindo Group, Kayu Lapis Indonesia Group, PT Kutai Timber Indonesia and PT Mujur Timber. Paul Eastwood, lead forestry governance adviser at the British Embassy in Jakarata, also attended.
Mr Yates said Plaut was taking delivery of FLEGT-licensed marine plywood from Mujur Timber in an MSC shipment due in at Tilbury on December 29.
“APKINDO has put a lot of effort into getting the industry to this level over a long period of time,” said Mr Yates, who predicted that large merchants who had previously steered away from Indonesian products would now come on board.
Mr Yates said James Latham and Falcon Panel Products have containers of PT Mujur third party verified marine plywood within the first shipment. Plaut’s other buyers will have FLEGT shipments under the new system in the next weeks.
James Latham is also taking delivery of one of the first FLEGT-licensed shipments (as mentioned earlier on ttjonline) – Flamebreak tri-laminate solid core hardwood door blanks from manufacturer Kutai Timber Indonesia (KTI). Falcon Panel Products will also be receiving licensed shipments from PT Kutai.
