The Ministry of Forestry is exploring the possibility of developing a timber marketing regulation to oversee the operations of timber retailers.

Minister, Alitia Bainivalu revealed this in Parliament when delivering her statement on the status of timber treatment in the country.

The Minister says consumers need to know and understand what they are buying for and what they need to ask retailers as well as seek the specifications, the level of treatment, and what hazard level that timber is suitable for.

Bainivalu says the issue of substandard timber continues to be a challenge, especially in the face of the incursion of Asian subterranean termites.

“It is important to note that treating timber with chemicals is not only part of the solution. Proper design of buildings and proper specification of building materials go a long way in ensuring that we are better protected, especially against the termites.”

She adds that treating timber with chemicals is also important to protect the timber from fungal decay, making it more durable and being able to last longer in service.

The Minister says that at the moment Fiji has 29 registered timber treatment plants, and so far only 14 are licensed to operate this year.

She says these plants are licensed annually and are monitored on a quarterly basis.

Bainivalu says the monitoring of these plants focuses on operator competency and health and safety control, where timber samples are located on a monthly basis for testing, looking at the concentration and penetration of preservative chemicals in the timber to ensure that these are within required standards.