AFRICA: State Scouts for US$30m Local Timber Sector

GOVERNMENT is scouting for US$30 million to help entrepreneurs introduce and set up plantations and processing plants in a bid to revamp the timber industry. Public relations officer in the ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry Conrad Simuchile said in an interview yesterday that Government intended to revive the timber industry which had been abandoned for a long time. Mr Simuchile said his ministry had written letters to Cabinet and a number of cooperating partners to assist with the funds to revive the industry. He said once the money was secured, it would be given out in form of loans to the business sector involved in the timber industry. "We want the business houses involved in timber to start processing finished products instead of exporting raw timber which later came back to Zambia in finished products," he said. He said the aim was to create employment for Zambians especially when timber was processed within the country and to empower them with resources to start their own businesses. Mr Simuchile said it was unfortunate that some neighbouring countries were benefiting from the Zambian timber which they used to manufacture furniture which was later exported back to Zambia at a higher cost. "This is the time to exploit the timber and the potential in it rather than creating employment and giving wealth to neighbouring countries. Timber, if properly managed, can become one of the major foreign exchange earners," he said. Zambia had 46.3 million hectares of forestry, of which 7.4 million hectares were reserves, 63,000 hectares were plantations, 6.3 million hectares national parks and 32 million hectares were woodlands. Statistics from the ministry of commerce trade and industry indicate that 850,000 hectares were being lost every year as most of the timber was left to go to waste since it was not harnessed.