Timber Business Hit Hard With Dwindling Number of Trees
BY DRAXON MALOYA
Following the depletion of the Chikangawa Forest, Malawians have now started relying on the imported timber from neighbouring Tanzania. Timber business is now becoming very difficult since it depends on the availability of forex in local banks for one to travel and buy timber in either Mbeya or Isongole in the east African country.
One of the prominent timber businessmen at Matabwa (Zigwagwa) market in Mzuzu city, Wesley Thom admitted that it is no longer easy to manage the timber business considering the scarcity of forex and unstable value of the kwacha against foreign trading currencies.
“It is no longer easy to supply our customers with timber on time considering that nowadays huge consignments of timber can only be sourced in neighbouring countries, so with our fragile currency on the market only heightens our misery,” Complained Thomu.
However, the 43 year old timber supplier to most construction companies in the country conceded that nationals in Malawi did not help government in 1980-1990s in the preservation of the Chikangawa Forest by at least planting their own trees meant for timber production.
“You may be surprised to hear that all the timber being imported from Tanzania comes from forests owned by individuals and not government like the way it is here back home, and no one is allowed access into public forests,” he said.
Commenting on the importation of timber from neighbouring Tanzania, the president for the Reform Timber Miller’s Union (RTMU), Alfred Adams described the future of timber business in the country as misty and hopeless.
The RTMU president also expressed surprise with some traders who are busy exporting timber to Mozambique and other countries despite ready markets within the country which are fetching good money.
“The timber business is gradually collapsing considering that all the timber found on the market in Mzuzu and Lilongwe are being imported from Tanzania, that means one has to scramble for the meagre forex in our commercial banks ,” Adams said.
In an effort to ensure continued availability of timber throughout the country, government of Malawi among others signed forest management agreements with a number of stakeholders who are managing concession areas in Chikangawa Forest.
