Unofficial translation

 

LAO PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC

PEACE INDEPENDENCE DEMOCRACY UNITY PROSPERITY

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry

No.5952/MOAF

Vientiane Capital, date 23 December 2022

Instruction

On the Management of Wood for Producing White Charcoal and Movement of 

White Charcoal

 

• Pursuant to Law on Forestry (Revised) No. 64/NA, dated 13 June 2019;
• Pursuant to the Prime Minister's Decree on the Organization and Activity of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry No. 603/PM, dated 15 October 2021;
• Pursuant to the Prime Minister’s Order on Enhancing Strictness of the Management and Inspection of Timber Exploitation, Timber Movement and Timber Business No. 15/PM, dated 13 May 2016;
• Pursuant to the Study and Proposal of the Department of Forestry No. 6395/DOF, dated 25 October 2022.

 

In the past, the government had a policy to promote plantation, natural forest restoration and exploitation, movement of cratoxyum and other types of wood to produce white charcoal for domestic distribution and export which generated people’s income in good manner. However, the management of government was not involved with urging and promoting people to plant and restore the natural forests in line with the guidance of green and sustainable growth, there was a smuggling of cutting, exploitation, movement of wood and charcoal from the natural forest.

In order to manage the exploitation of wood for producing and movement of white charcoal in legal manner as well as to promote the production of white charcoal from plantation as an export product in sustainable and unified manner across the country.

The Minister of Agriculture and Forestry instructs:

1. Objective:

This Instruction sets out the principles, procedures and methods for managing wood exploitation, movement of wood and white charcoal for domestic distribution and export with the aim of promoting the production of white charcoal from wood as a sustainable product and also ensure the production in compliance with the supply chain system of wood product as the stipulated laws and regulations.

2. Scope:

This Instruction specifically applies for producing the white charcoal from cratoxyum and other types of wood in Lao PDR which domestic and foreign individuals, legal entities and organizations have invested in the management, planting or planting using the technique of burning temperature degree above 1,000 Celsius for producing the quality and solid white charcoal, and less black smoke during burning as the stipulated laws.

3. Principles, Procedures and Methods:

3.1. Exploration Principles of Wood Exploitation:

            The exploration of cratoxyum and other types of wood for producing the white charcoal from natural forest shall be operated in the production forest area that having allocated plan, infrastructure construction area, forest land conversion area, forest area allocated by the government for village use, land area of individuals, legal entities and organizations that the government authorized to use the land in accordance to the law, and to conduct a systematic or random sampling exploration to assess the volume. For the number of samples and the size depend on the forest condition to be explored.

            The exploration of wood to produce the white charcoal located in the land of registered individuals, legal entities and organizations are not required to conduct exploration.

3.2. Planning Creation and Approval of White Charcoal Exploitation

            Creation and approval of the wood exploration plan for producing the white charcoal shall perform as following procedures:

1. The Provincial Forestry Sector shall create the wood exploration plan for producing the white charcoal based on the actual survey data according to the survey principles defined in Clause 3.1 of this Instruction and submit to the Department of Forestry before 30 September of every year;

2. Department of Forestry shall study and consolidate the annual plan for wood exploitation of the provinces and Vientiane Capital to present to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry for consideration and approval;

3. Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry approves the annual exploitation plan of wood for producing the white charcoal;

4. Department of Forestry notifies the annual exploitation plan of wood for producing the white charcoal to the Provincial Forestry Sector for the implementation according to the approval of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry as well as to notify the relevant sectors for acknowledgement;

5. The Provincial Forestry Sector issues the exploration permit of wood for producing the white charcoal according to the notification of the Department of Forestry.

            For cratoxyum and other type of wood for producing the white charcoal that exploited from the land of registered individuals, legal entities and organizations for planting and restoration are not required to seek the exploration plan approval according to the technical procedures, but shall report the wood volume to the Agriculture and Forestry Office in District.

3.3. Wood Exploitation and Movement

Wood exploitation and movement for producing the white charcoal shall perform as follows:

1. The exploitation of cratoxyum and other types of wood from infrastructure construction area, forest land conversion area, forest area allocated by government for village use, can operate over the year but shall obtain the exploitation plan approval, and shall have the monitoring, inspection and certification conducted by the Provincial Forestry Sector;

For cratoxyum and other type of wood exploited from the plantation and forest restoration area that legally registered, the owner of plantation forest can conduct exploitation over the year without seeking the exploitation plan approval, shall have the monitoring, inspection and certification conducted by the Agriculture and Forestry Unit of Village and the relevant village authority.

2. The movement of cratoxyum and other types of wood exploited in the infrastructure construction area, forest land conversion area, forest area allocated by government for village use that move from district to district within the province, shall have the movement document from the Agriculture and Forestry Office in District (Form FT 1). For wood movement from province to province or within the country, shall have the movement document from the Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Department (Form FT 2);

3. For cratoxyum and other type of wood exploited from the planting forest of individuals, legal entities and organizations which is legally registered, it is not required to seek approval within the province and other province but shall report the volume or weight of wood to the Agriculture and Forestry Office in District for issuing the certificate (Form FT 3).

3.4. Measurement Unit of Wood Volume

The unit to measure the wood volume is the volume of the stack of wood by taking the size 1 meter x 1 meter x 1 meter (cubic meter of the stack of wood) as the calculation basis. One cubic meter of wood or other types of wood can produce about 65-75 kilograms of white charcoal.

3.5. White Charcoal for Domestic Movement and Export

• Domestic Movement of white charcoal product shall be inspected the balance between the number of cratoxyum exploration permit and other types of wood (input) and the quantity of produced white charcoal (output) from the Inspection Committee of white charcoal product for domestic movement and export;
• The Agriculture and Forestry Office in District issues the domestic movement permit of white charcoal products in the country (Form FT 4), and the inspection minute of white charcoal products of the Inspection Committee for domestic movement in the country (form FT 5);
• The Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Department issues the export permit of white charcoal (Form FT 6) and the inspection minute of white charcoal products of the Inspection Committee for export (form FT 7);

For the collection of fees and service charges including royalty fee and export duty shall implement according to the Presidential’ s Edict which enter into force in each period.

4. Coordination Mechanism:

          Enhance and pay attention to create the coordination mechanism between the relevant sectors of the public sector, business sector and the citizen to make the management of white charcoal production in systematic manner and flexible and quick services, to reduce the various technical procedures that are found as the obstacles and do not support the white charcoal production.

5. The Implementation Approach:

1. The Department of Forestry, the Agriculture and Forestry Departments in Provinces and Vientiane Capital to take initiative to collaborate with the relevant sectors to disseminate, train, monitor and inspect the implementation of this Instruction in good results;
2. The Agriculture and Forestry Departments in Provinces and Vientiane Capital, Agriculture and Forestry Office in District and Village are assinged to coordinate with the relevant sectors to strictly implement the management of the exploitation, movement of cratoxyum and other types of wood for producing the white charcoal, and the domestic movement and for export of white charcoal products in accordance with this Instruction;
3. If there is any advantages or disadvantages in implementing this Instruction, shall report to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry according to the procedures for consideration and solutions in timely manner.

This Instruction replaces the Instruction of the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry no. 0050/MOAF, dated 18 September 2017 and shall become into force from the date of signature.

 

Minister

Ph.D.Phet PHOMPHIPHAK