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Supporting Small Timber Growers On Kolombangara

May 17, 2021

Australia’s Strongnim Bisnis is working with Kolombangara Forest Products Limited (KFPL) to support small timber growers (out-growers) on Kolombangara in Western Province, boosting the sustainable forestry sector and providing local communities with new jobs and more income.

(L to R): Kolombangara Forest Products Limited General Manager, Dan Raymond; the Australian High Commissioner, Dr Lachlan Strahan; Australian High Commission Counselor Economics, Andrew Schloeffel; and the Honourable Minister and Member of Parliament for Gizo/Kolombangara, Lanelle Tanandaga, toured the Kolombangara timber plantations.

The Australian High Commissioner, Dr Lachlan Strahan, and the Minister for Education and Human Resources Development, the Honourable Lanelle Tanangada, toured KFPL’s operations and met several out-growers on 11 May. Minister Tanangada is also the member for Gizo-Kolombangara.

The Honourable Minister and Member of Parliament for Gizo/Kolombangara, Lanelle Tanandaga and the Australian High Commissioner, Dr Lachlan Strahan toured Kolombangara’s plant nurseries.

KFPL started an out-grower program in 2013, helping small timber growers to sell their commercial-age plantation logs to the market.

KFPL General Manager, Dan Raymond, said “The KFPL out-grower program has returned more than SBD 11 million to 481 growers who have sold their trees. Out-growers know that they can gain a profit from growing plantations, and as a result they continue to plant around Kolombangara”.

Honourable Minister and Member of Parliament for Gizo/Kolombangara, Lanelle Tanandaga said “A new dawn of opportunities is provided by the Australian Government supported partnership between Strongim Bisnis and KFPL and I encourage my good people of Gizo/Kolombangara to embrace this opportunity. In support of this partnership, Gizo/Kolombangara Constituency will continue to support out growers and provide partnership arrangements for planting of at least 20,000 trees as out grower project in 2021. Let us plant trees for today’s generation and beyond.”

Honourable Minister and Member of Parliament for Gizo/Kolombangara, Lanelle Tanandaga, planting a tree at Kolombangara.

Strongim Bisnis will assist KFPL’s out-grower program by mapping existing smallholder lots, supporting out-growers to access accurate market information so they may manage their plantations more effectively, and helping out-growers to sell larger quantities of their logs.

Strongim Bisnis Business Partnerships Director, Tim Lawther, signed a year-long partnership with Kolombangara Forest Products Limited (KFPL) General Manager, Dan Raymond, to support KFPL’s timber out-growers program.

Australian High Commissioner Strahan, said “The forestry sector plays a vital role in the Solomon Islands economy. But it is essential that it does so in a sustainable and socially conscious manner, protecting the environment and ensuring that its economic benefits are shared with people at village level.”

The Australian High Commissioner, Dr Lachlan Strahan spoke with timber out-growers about the success they had from being a part of the program which KFPL and Strongim Bisnis is supporting.

“KFPL is making an important contribution locally and nationally, producing timber in a sustainable way, paying taxes, employing several thousand people and working with local communities in partnership. Small-scale timber growers in Kolombangara have already proved that they can profit from KFPL’s out-grower program”, said Dr Strahan.

“This Strongim Bisnis initiative will help KFPL to extend the reach of its out-grower program, enabling more local producers to harvest and sell their timber,” he said.

Dr Strahan visited Kolombangara Island as part of his travel to Western Province. KFPL is one of only two large plantation growers generating considerable revenue and jobs through planted areas totalling approximately 30,000 hectares.

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