By HELEN ZULU –
THE Zambia National Association of Sawmillers (ZNAS) has called for the immediate operationalisation of the value addition cluster in Lufwanyama District on the Copperbelt Province to maximise the utilisation of timber.
ZNAS secretary general William Bwalya said the operationalisation of the value addition cluster was the solution to solving problems faced by the timber industry in supplying soft and hard wood.
By way of value addition to the timber, the industry would be able to maximise the utilisation of the cut wood.
“The solution to solving the problems in both the soft and hard woods requires an immediate operationalisation of the timber value addition clusters. Land has already been secured for this purpose. We are happy that the Ministry of Finance is looking seriously into our proposal to electrify a model cluster in Lufwanyama for value addition,” he said.
He said the association needed assistance from cooperating partners to help with power supply to the cluster at a cost of K960, 000.
The cluster would help various firms have the ability to attract complimentary skills to bid for exports of timber.
This would also help the sector have the potential for economies of scale, new ideas, new businesses creation, Job creation and poverty alleviation.
He said timber stocks by the Zambia Forestry and Forest Industries Corporation Limited (ZAFFICO) had dwindled to unprecedented levels as a result of a decline in the yields from forest plantations.
“There is a steady increase in over harvesting for round wood in the last decade which is about 50 per cent above the actual supply. The current demand for timber has outstripped supply and the current harvesting levels cannot be sustained in the long run if the harvesting trends continue to be above the Annual Allowable Cut,” he said.