site.btaIntegrated Information System Will Monitor Timber Harvesting and Trade

ESD 16:04:30 22-11-2014
MY1604ES.104
104 ECONOMY - AGRICULTURE MINISTRY - TIMBER - INFORMATION SYSTEM

Integrated Information System
Will Monitor
Timber Harvesting and Trade


Sofia, November 22 (BTA) - An integrated information system will
monitor the harvesting and trade of timber, said Agriculture
and Food Minister Dessislava Taneva, quoted by her Ministry on
Saturday.

The measures which the Agriculture and Food Ministry will take
to limit illegal logging will be in two stages. The first stage
will be organizational. A total of 173 mobile control teams will
be created to monitor activities in woodlands, including timber
harvesting and trade, Taneva said.

The second stage provides for the gradual introduction of
plastic plates with an identification code and e-ticket. Its use
in other countries has led to a 20 per cent reduction of
illegal logging and an increase of timber trade revenue by
another 20, the Minister noted.

The measures are supposed to start functioning by June of next
year and will be combined into an integrated information system,
which will monitor the path of timber from its harvesting
location to the storage and processing place.

Taneva said that the regulatory framework will have to be
changed only for some of the measures. According to her, they
will include requiring persons working in woodlands to register.
If such a person has been sanctioned in the past for
violations, they will not be eligible for re-registering.

Deputy Agriculture Minister Georgi Kostov said that all timber
harvesting and transportation permits will be issued
electronically and will be connected to the Executive Forest
Agency, which will allow for timber to be tracked. MY



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