Thu, 25 Jan 2018 10:34:25 +0000
By LINDA SOKO TEMBO
GOVERNMENT wants timber factories to be established in Zambia as opposed to the country exporting it raw.
Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Jean Kapata says if value addition was given to timber processors, it could bring about economic benefits in terms of wealth and job creation.
Ms. Kapata said government’s interest was to establish the source of buyers so that they could be enticed to invest in the country.
She explained that this would ease the cost of buying finished products from those countries importing timber from Zambia.
She said the country was opening a number of Multi Facility Economic Zones (MFEZ) adding that there was need for timber processors to set up factories in Zambia and invest so that value addition could be achieved.
Ms Kapata also pointed out that traditional leaders did not own timber trees, saying people interested in the commodity should get permission from the mandated government institutions once the ban was lifted.
“It does not make sense for people to export our timber and later travel all the way to China to buy end products at unreasonably high costs.
“As a ministry we are not going to allow exports not until we are satisfied that we have companies that have come to set up factories in our country,” she said.
The Minister said the country had a few processing companies of timber dealing with value addition adding that they wanted more factories because they were not enough.
Ms Kapata also dismissed wide assertions suggesting that the Ministry of Lands was giving out land to foreigners.
