One of the Solomon Islands’ largest sawn timber exporters has cleared a key export pathway to Vanuatu and opened the way to deeper Pan-Pacific trade, with Top Timber Company’s eight-month biosecurity audit closing in April 2026 with positive feedback from auditors. That is according to reporting in Solomon Star News, with Biosecurity Solomon Islands (BSI) confirming the audit was the culmination of years of Australian technical investment via the Solomon Islands Biosecurity Development Program (SIBDP).
Spanning eight months from September 2025 to April 2026, the review was anchored by hands-on mentoring from Tanuvasa Semy Siakimotu, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) biosecurity adviser based in Honiara, and the SIBDP strengthened Solomon Islands’ technical capability and regulatory frameworks over many years. Wood Central understands sawn timber is the value-added growth segment of Solomon Islands’ forest exports, with the country’s 17 SITPEA members now pushing towards Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) Chain of Custody compliance.
Speaking on the audit outcome, BSI Director Jean Eroa said strong collaboration between government and the private sector remains central to the country’s trade success. Eroa described the process as a “shared commitment to compliance, transparency, and safe trade,” with the close setting a benchmark for Solomon Islands timber exporters seeking expanded market access in the Pacific and globally.
Active since 2010, Top Timber Company (TTC) has supported more than 30,000 Solomon Islands families across its operations, whilst directly employing 200 local staff and 65 expatriate workers in a business now exporting timber across the Pacific and beyond. The company plays a significant role in a country’s national economy, where around 80 per cent of citizens rely on rural livelihoods supported by industries such as timber.
Pressed on the audit’s impact at the company level, TTC manager exports and finance Priyan Fernando said the eight-month process had strengthened internal systems and built confidence in pest, disease, and contaminant management across an expanding export programme. “This has been extremely valuable for our team,” Fernando said, with TTC now ready for future audits and expanded supply to Pacific and global trading partners.
Beyond Top Timber itself, the audit reflects Australia’s broader Pacific biosecurity work through DAFF, with the department placing technical advisers alongside regional partners across the timber trade. The SIBDP has strengthened Solomon Islands’ biosecurity systems and regulatory frameworks over many years, targeting pests, diseases, and contaminants across the country’s primary industry supply chains.
BSI has indicated it will continue working with industry, partners, and regional counterparts to ensure Solomon Islands products meet global standards, with the country’s 17 sawn timber processors and exporters now targeting deeper Pan-Pacific and global trade growth.
