Mon, 12 Feb 2018 09:31:41 +0000 By BENNIE MUNDANDO THE inefficiencies in the Forestry Department have grown out of proportion and require concerted efforts to save the forestry resources from total extinction, Timber Producers Association of Zambia (TPAZ) has noted. TPAZ said it was in total agreement with the report of the Auditor General on the failure of the Ministry of Lands in sustainable forest management. Making its submission before the parliamentary committee on Agriculture, lands and natural resources, the association said the glaring failure by the ministry to manage the country’s forests and forest resources, particularly indigenous timber, had attributed to a combination of evil motives and operational incapacitation brought about by political interference, loss of Government revenue, and inadequate funding, among other factors. “The Forestry Department has been operating without adequate funding, transport and manpower to carry out its functions effectively and this has been highlighted in numerous stakeholder proposals and recommendations […]
