In Anticipation of Log Shipments:

MONROVIA – When construction works are completed on the second station, which includes a sawmill, log yard and other work shops by Bargo and Bargo (B & B) Enterprise Incorporated in April, the sawmill will be the only one in Monsterrado County to be erected by a logging company, the chief executive officer of B & B told journalists early this week.

In 2008, the logging company won a comparative bid Timber Sale Contract (TSC) for Area 7A in Gbarpolu County. The company began full-scale operations on March 20, 2009.

With an investment of about US$6.5 million, B&B Inc. will operate in Gbarpolu County from 2009 to 2012. The concessional area totals about 5,000 hectares of land. The contract will only be renewed upon expressed satisfaction of the locals and the Forestry Development Authority (FDA).

At the opening ceremony of the Brewerville site of the sawmill and log yard last Saturday, January 9. Alfred D. Bargo, CEO of B & B Enterprise, said the erection of Station Two in Montserrado County indicated the company’s readiness to begin exporting logs upon receipt of their harvest certificate from FDA.

“The construction of the sawmill and log packs indicates that we are prepared to begin shipping logs, and we are hopeful that by April the construction will be completed,” Bargo said.

In his intervention, Charles B. Gonleh, Operation Manager of B & B Enterprise, stated that the construction work was at its foundational stage. He disclosed that his company was preparing for the clearance of fallen logs to begin the shipment.

The Operation Manager added that within a few weeks, the construction would reach its super structure stage, and that upon completion, a log pack where the logs will be graded, skilled and packaged for shipment, would be operational. “There will be other workshops as well,” he said.

“We have cut 11 blocks and six of them have been presented to FDA and the SGS, and we are awaiting their endorsement to begin harvesting logs, which will be packed at the Brewerville site for subsequent shipment,” Gonleh said.

For his part, the Development Superintendent of Monsterrado County, J. Momolu Bass, thanked B & B on behalf of the City Government for choosing the City of Brewerville for the erection of the sawmill and log pack. He also praised the Government of Liberia, through the FDA, for lifting of the ban on timber exports.

Also speaking at the ceremony was the outgoing Managing Director of the FDA, John T. Woods, who hailed B & B Enterprise for meeting its requisite obligations leading to the processing of felled trees.

Woods described Bargo as a “serious-minded” Liberian and applauded him for his “honesty and hard work.”

“B & B Enterprise has paid 100 percent of its taxes [to] the Government, completed their blocking and other requirements, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) assessment, and is now awaiting the FDA and the SGS to complete assessment to certify them to begin harvesting log. I must congratulate Mr. Bargo for such initiatives,” the outgoing FDA Boss said.

He also lauded Bargo for what he called “his straightforwardness and commitment in his endeavors.”

The sawmill and log yard are currently being constructed on a 10-acre stretch of land along Suehn Road in Brewerville. About 75 youths are expected to be employed.