Ghana will implement a massive public and private tree plantation programme to guarantee the future supply base of the country’s timber industry, according to the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC).

The minister of land and natural resources is reported by GBC to have outlined the programme at a seminar.

He said studies had shown that the wood industry’s installed processing capacity was estimated at 4.7 million m³, but the annual allowable cut is only 2 million m³.

This, he said, implied that if the industry were to operate at capacity, then up to 2.7 million m³ of timber would be sourced illegally.

Ghana is also intending to improve the level of value-added timber exports.