Ministry of Lands to assist timber industry to stay in business

Accra , June 18, GNA - The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has adopted short, medium and long term strategies to assist the timber industry to stay in business.

Alhaji Collins Dauda, the sector Minister who made this known said within the short term a waiver of import levy on logs would be introduced to enable competitive companies to bring the product into the country. He said the annual allowable logging has been raised from one million cubic meters to two million cubic meters to make more wood available to timber firms and also salvage the trees from destruction by farmers and illegal harvesting operations.

The minister was answering a question at the floor of Parliament tabled by Mr Andrew Adjei Yeboah, Member of Tano South. Alhaji Dauda said under the medium strategy voluntary partnership agreement would be in place to retool inefficient processing mills to ensure optimum utilisation of wood resources and reduce waste. In the long term, there would be rigorous implementation of the National Forestry Plantation Development Programme, to make wood available to the industry.

Under the programme an annual target of 30, 000 has been set, targeting 100 district assemblies. Alhaji Dauda said despite the promotion of more than 250 lesser used timber species, only 60 species are being utilised commercially, adding research is underway to reverse the trend.