Myanmar invites tender for hardwood log sale

Myanmar has invited open tender for sale of more than 3,100 tons of hardwood logs and the sale is set for Friday, according to an announcement of the Myanmar Timber Enterprise (MTE) published here Monday.

The hardwood logs to be sold through competitive bidding include Padauk, Kanyin, Pyinkado, Thingan and Sagawa logs of different quality grade, the MTE announcement said.

It will be another wood log tender after that in October last year, in which more than 1,000 tons of teak and hardwood logs were put on sale.

The MTE has set a target of more than 500,000 tons of teak and hardwood logs and sawn timber for domestic use in the 2014-15 fiscal year and 100,000 tons have been sold so far.

The government banned the export of log timber by the private sector from April 1, 2014 in a bid to prevent deforestation and ensure long-term use of the country's natural resources.

However, the export of sawn and value-added wood is allowed, aimed at promoting foreign investment in the wood-based industry in terms of production technology.

Myanmar is set to produce only 60,000 tons of teak and 670,000 tons of hardwood in 2014-15. The country produced 93,178 tons of teak and 610,592 tons of hardwood in 2013-14, according to the forestry authorities.

Myanmar's forest coverage stood at 57 percent between 1980 and 1990 and it has reduced to 47 percent at present. Endi