Export earnings from Forest sector stands at $212m

Kumasi, June 29, GNA - The Timber Industry currently accounts for about 4 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 11 per cent of national export revenue, with average revenue from the sector stabilized at about 212 million dollars over the past five years.

Alhaji Collins Dauda, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, announced this in a speech read on his behalf at a day's seminar organized by the Anloga Carpenters Union in Kumasi at the weekend, under the theme "The state of the wood industry". He said government through its forest sector development plan, would increase the value component of the timber exports, and that emphasis would be placed on skills development, technology transfer and product development.

The Minister noted that the greatest challenge facing the forest sector was the rapid exploitation of our forests, which has resulted in disastrous deforestation and consequent environmental degradation. He said the resource base which stood at 8.2 million hectares during the turn of the century, has now dwindled to about 1.5 million hectares, and that the deforestation rate is currently estimated at 65,000 km per annum.

Alhaji Dauda sated that the consequential effect was the drastic dwindle of the raw material base of the wood industry, making the future of the industry unpredictable. He said his Ministry would adopt a massive Public Plantation Development and Afforestation Programme to guarantee the future of the wood supply base of the industry.

The Minister expressed concern about the activities of chain-saw operators, saying it posed a serious threat to forest resources and advised carpenters to patronize legally felled timber to ensure their survival. He added that government would increase the use of lesser used species, diversify markets and introduce new technologies into the wood processing industry in Ghana.

He further indicated his support for the establishment of the Sokoban Wood Village in Kumasi, which seeks to provide basic facilities to tertiary wood producers, including members of the Anloga Carpenters Union, to enable them to add value to their products.

Mr Alhassan Attah, Executive Director of the Timber Industry Development Division (TIDD) of the Forestry Commission, said the wood industry contributed significantly to income generation at all levels of activity from logging, haulage processing and even from wood waste to meet the energy requirements of the country.

He noted that the slow down in economic activity in the local markets and its impact on exports demanded a radical shift in the marketing of Ghana's wood products, and asked the members of the Union to turn their attention to the development of the domestic and regional markets for wood products. Mr Attah urged them to turn to the use of bamboo and rattan as a result of the depletion of the forests to enhance their businesses, adding that the Forestry Commission would provide them with the requisite training towards the expansion of their work.

Torgbui Mawufeane Fugah, Chairman of the Anloga Resettlement Committee, said the wood industry has been infected with "divide and rule by some individual politicians with selfish interests", thus depriving the industry of the needed cohesion, adding that the situation had also had adverse effects on the development of the industry. He appealed to the government and the Forestry Commission to equip them with the needed skills to enable them to work harder and contribute meaningfully towards national development. Ms Alice Addai Yeboah, Resettlement Officer of the Sokoban Wood Village, said the Sokoban Woood Village Project was funded by Agence Francaise Development of the France Government at the cost of 11 million Ghana Cedis, to ensure the successful relocation of carpenters and wood sellers at Anloga and Kyirapatre.

She said there had been a tussle over the movement of carpenters and wood sellers to the new site because they complained that the place was too small for them and too far from the metropolis. She appealed to them to exercise restraint and move to the site without any further delay. Ms Yeboah announced that as part of the relocation project, 300,000 Euros had been provided by the donors for the purchase of additional hectares of land to expand the site, as well as embark on a forest plantation project to growth more tree species.