Kapata announces complete ban of timber exports
By Staff Reporter
The Zambian government has announced a complete exportation ban of any form of unprocessed timber.
Lands and natural resources minister Jean Kapata said the new measure was intended to promote timber processing and manufacturing companies in Zambia that would add value to the raw materials that were being exported.
She said the move would help Zambia create jobs through partnerships between the local people and foreign investors.
Kapata was speaking in Pretoria, South Africa at the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC ) conference for ministers responsible for environment, natural resources ,fisheries acquaculture and tourism.
She observed that Zambia was previously losing out on the full value of timber by exporting raw timber logs to the Far East.
She added that Zambia would plant over one million trees this year to help reforestation.
And Kapata disclosed that Zambia was concerned with rampant cases of illegal poaching of endangered animal species such as rhinoes, elephants and others.
She said the German government had since given SADC Countries €20million to protect endangered species by training specialized anti poaching scouts.
