The Zambian government is trying to source US$30m in a bid to revitalise the country’s flagging timber industry.
The plan is to set up plantations and processing plants so the country can manufacture its own finished products.
Conrad Simuchile of the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry, said some neighbouring countries were benefiting from Zambian timber which they used to manufacture furniture and then export back to Zambia at a higher cost.
He said: “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.”
Zambia is currently losing 850,000ha every year as timber goes to waste as it is not properly managed.
