In the previous days, the Directorate for Forest and Hunting Management confiscated large quantities of illegally cut trees. As the acting director, Miloš Rajković, pointed out during his guest appearance on TV Vijesti's Boje jutra, the intention is to distribute everything they take away to citizens for free or with a minimal fee. Rajković also said that they started with sudden inspections of sawmills.
"Because we have grounds for suspicion that some sawmills work in the evening hours in the third shift from two in the evening to seven in the morning and use illegal wood assortments there. There were five such controls in the previous ten days, we will continue. We found irregularities in one of them, that's what we concluded, we will proceed with the further procedure. Here we also need the cooperation of other authorities, namely the police administration, the administration for inspection affairs." said Rajkovic.
The new Law on Forests is in the process and the Ministry of Agriculture believes that it will improve the situation in this segment. The law, which should be applied from January 2025, foresees the establishment of a state enterprise that will manage forests, but the Forest Management Administration will also remain as an authority.
Darko Stojanović, Acting General Director of the Directorate for Forests, emphasized that the new company will be established in 2024.
"It is a company that will have to expand, that will have to strengthen. What is important is that in the period leading up to the tender procurement of equipment and the employment of people, subcontractors will be engaged who will do logging, who will do extraction, while the company itself is not strong enough to be able to carry out the entire work. I have absolutely no doubt that everything will be fine. Positive examples from the region have shown us that it is simply possible and that it can function as it should. ." so is Stojanović.
On the other hand, even though they belong to the same political party (SNP), Rajković does not think that establishing a state-owned enterprise in this way is a good idea.
"These so-called concessionaires are subcontractors. We had this concept 20 years ago. It is a concept that is not sustainable. We need a company, but not in this way and what is said over the knee, to destroy what we started to do . Which state-owned company will pay a skidder and a truck driver a salary of 2.000-3.000 EUR what they earn in private companies?" pointed out Rajković.
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