Fedemaderas held the first National Congress of Wood Industry, with the participation of businessmen, entrepreneurs, government, legislators, representatives of the academy and the community.
During the two days of the congress, Fedemaderas expressed its interest in facing, hand in hand with the national government, the challenges that are being presented to mitigate climate change, stop deforestation and potentiate the bioeconomy, this last topic with the intention of generating triple shared value in Colombian society.
“We must move towards a forestry identity and culture consisting of: the mass use of wood, expanding its per capita consumption in Colombia, and articulating a State public policy that ensures that the sector’s contributions to the country’s economy are increased.. Policy decisions should be focused on rational, non-adaptive expectations, considering that the 0.89% contribution to national GDP has the potential to be more than 5%,” says Juan Miguel Vásquez, national executive director of Fedemaderas.
During the congress, the work with the communities was also highlighted, this through various associations and projects, such as Visión Amazonía and the Cocomacia Community Council, consolidating through the carbon market an alternative capable of continuing to innovate the short-term financing of these projects. , enabling in the medium term the protection and productivity of natural forests and the increase in commercial forest plantation crops.
In addition, Vásquez highlighted that hard work is being done to break down stereotypes and myths about wood, the use and value perceived by society about forests, their products and derived services.
One of the most relevant points was the invitation from Fedemaderas to study the international policies and experiences that have been successful, but maintaining that “it is not advisable to imitate them, Colombia must seek its own model in accordance with its technical, political and social status quo.””, asserts Vásquez.
He added that this is an invitation to the country to think about making the forest and timber network a Project of Strategic National Interest, PINE, with the challenge of making sustainable in the short term a business whose raw material is obtained in the long term. . An effective communication towards the ecosystem will result in a better understanding and therefore jump from the potential that Colombia has, towards a reality with a forceful contribution to the national bioeconomy.
In addition, national government actors must understand that the industry needs what the land provides, not necessarily to be the owner of it, that is, the projects and entrepreneurs work hand in hand with the people who today inhabit and own the land. land, demystifying any other interpretation in relation to these aspects.
Likewise, and depending on the final approval of the National Development Plan 2022-2026, it will be necessary to resume the initiative for the construction and presentation of a new Comprehensive Forestry Law, an aspect that has been blurred in the initial project, with three items as a priority:
- Have a single intra-sectoral authority that coordinates the productive management of the natural forest, commercial forest plantation crops, and the industrial chains of products and services derived from them.
- Promote a forestry law that benefits all stakeholders in the forestry and timber network.
- Create Regional Bioeconomy Clusters as an instrument for the creation of value chains with greater impact and competitiveness.
Likewise, under the motto “building a forestry country, second supplier of wood in the region” the idea of Colombia becoming the second largest forestry and wood producer in Latin America in a period of three decades was ratified. Although to achieve the above, it was stated that measures must be adopted to double commercial forest plantations and current wood production, this would allow the sector to contribute 9% of the country’s GDP by 2052 at constant prices of 2022.
One of the most important achievements of this first congress is the emerging connection of the forestry and timber network, with the reindustrialization policy led by the Ministry of Commerce, since there is currently no agenda on the matter.
The union pointed out that the above inspires a new connection with the Ministry of Housing to develop sustainable construction with wood and through it reduce the rural and urban housing deficit.
“It is also worth noting the concern to generate physical, legal and financial security for the private sector, with the intention of improving investment conditions and with it, within the framework of a comprehensive rural policy, achieving productive chains and decent pensions for the peasant, indigenous and member of the ethnic community”, he concluded.