Round logs a shipping yard of Palekula in Santo, Vanuatu. Photo: Hilaire Bule
Five landowners on the Island of Santo, want Vanuatu Forest Industry Limited, a Chinese company, and the Vanuatu Department of Forests to pay them for trees felled on their land.
One landowner, who does not want to be named, said a meeting was held with the company and the department on December 22nd regarding the outstanding payments.
He said the landowners know that over 10,000 logs are being stocked at Palekula.
The landowner said the department had failed to measure the logs after they were cut down by the Chinese company.
He said to determine the price of a log, the department must measure it before it is transported.
The man said the affected landowners just want the payment for their trees.
"Under the agreement signed between the landowners, the Chinese company, and the department, it was agreed to pay $2,500 VT (Vatu is local currency) per cubic metre," he said.
The Department of Forests confirmed the meeting, saying a scale will be brought in after the holidays to measure the logs for pricing.
Earlier in December, the Department of Forests stopped the Chinese company from trying to export the logs for paper production.
At the time, the Department of Forests director Rexon Vira revealed the company exported round logs earlier this year for paper production, but that its latest attempt has been stopped because it failed to provide key information on that first export.
Vira said the company had a licence to process timber locally, not to export round logs.
