TEMPO.CO, London - Indonesia's first legally certified timber shipment arrived in England, on Monday, January 16, 2017, local time. Indonesian Ambassador to London Rizal Sukma, paid a visit to Tilbury harbor located in London to unbox the cargo that contains the Indonesian FLEGT ( Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade)-compliant timber.
"I'm proud to witness Indonesia's first FLEGT timber product being sent to England. This is the result of hard work from a number of parties that continuously monitored the implementation of Timber Legality Verification System (SVLK)." Rizal said in his official statement on Tuesday, January 17, 2017.
The company that imported the product is identified as James Lathams Ltd and Falcon Panel Product Ltd, and importer agent Plaut International Ltd. Both companies were present at the event, which was held at the warehouse owned by both companies. A representative from the Department for International Development of England was also present.
"By implementing the FLEGT license, I believe that importers would place more trust regarding the legality of Indonesia's timber exports," Rizal stated.
Indonesia-England trade reached US$ 127 million in 2015. Rizal hoped that the amount would continue to increase in the coming years.
Chairman of James Lathams, Piers Latham, welcomed the implementation of FLEGT certification on Indonesian wood products. "The FLEGT license will help assure UK-based companies about the legality of Indonesian timber and wood products", Piers said.
Indonesian Wood Panel Association (APKINDO) recorded that there were around 17 cargo loads that were sent through Tilbury, Liverpool, and Grangemouth.
NATALIA SANTI | ABDUL MALIK
