• Promote importation of timber from Congo DR and Angola.
• Forest Act must be reviewed.
• Zambia can be used as a transit route.
Timber Producers Association of Zambia (TPAZ) has called on government to promote importation of timber from neighboring countries such as Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Angola.
Speaking in an interview with Money FM News, PTAZ president Charles Masange said the law in the Forests Act that only allows selected companies from Congo DR to be transiting timber through Zambia must be reviewed.
He said, “Let us promote the importation of timber from neighboring countries such as Congo and Angola, the act number 30 previously was number 31 which is now act number 80 in the Forests Act only gives permission to a listed name of companies from Congo to be transiting timber through Zambia, that one should be reviewed.”
Mr. Masange noted that every timber producer with a license should be given mandate to import timber from Congo DR and Transit it through Zambia until it reaches its market destination.
“Every timber producer whose license is valid must be given the mandate to import timber from Congo and transit it through Zambia to China, Vietnam or anywhere,” Mr. Masange said.
He added that Zambia being a land linked country, it can be used as a transit route from Congo DR’s equatorial forest to the destination of timber which in the end can be able to generate foreign exchange for the country.
Mr. Masange further said, “Let us use Congo, being land linked to Congo DR as an equatorial forest, we can earn a lot of foreign exchange out of timber from Congo DR because Congo has got big logs of timber, has got good quality of timber and we should take advantage of that because we are connected.”