Timber industry in limbo

The exotic timber industry was arguably one of the mainstream industries, not only in Manicaland province, but the whole country.

The eastern highlands were known for the lush pine, gum and other exotic timber plantations, but today the greenery has made way for a mosaic of burnt plantations and patches of maize in summer. The thriving timber industry is long gone.

The timber industry  used to contribute considerably to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employing more than 10 000 people and over 40 000 people supported by the downstream industries. The timber industry is in limbo, as it has been dogged by a plethora of challenges in the past decade-chief among them illegal occupations in timber plantations. Recent visits to Chimanimani by this reporter revealed that some of the people have resettled themselves on fireguards in timber plantations.

Some of the leading timber companies affected by the challenges include Allied Timbers Zimbabwe, Wattle Company and Border Timbers Limited. Operations at the Border Timbers factory in Mutare have since ceased with thousands of people rendered jobless, while Mutare Board and Paper Mills closed shop a few years ago. Hundreds of haulage companies which used to ferry raw timber from plantations to factories in Mutare have collapsed too.

While many reasons have been bandied about for the collapse of the timber industry, the main reason has been illegal settlements in timber plantations mostly in Chimanimani, Chipinge, Vumba and Nyanga. These illegal settlers have been illegally harvesting timber with some causing fires which have gutted thousands of hectares of standing timber. Some are clearing land for illegal gold mining. This has seriously affected the timber producing cycle in the country.  And fears abound that the timber industry will be wiped off in the next decade.

According to a recent report by the Timber Producers Federation, more than 30 000 hectares of prime timber plantations have been lost due to illegal settlements in timber plantations and other disruptions. Recent statistics have also shown that Allied Timber Zimbabwe alone has lost in excess of $200 million due to activities of illegal settlers over the past years.

There are reports that more than 4 000 families from all corners of the country have invaded more than 12 000 hectares of forestry land by early last year. And these families are burning down standing timber to make way for the maize and other crops. Some of the illegal occupants have come from as far afield as Midlands and Masvingo and some dry areas in some parts of the country.

"The presence of these unauthorised settlers is of great concern, as the majority of last year's fires were linked to unauthorised settlement of forest land. Timber plantations fires have been linked to the presence of illegal settlers and the settlers are illegally felling down timber on Charter, Martin and Skyline estates in Chimanimani," Allied Timbers, chief executive officer, Joseph Kanyekanye recently said.

And he added: "The illegal settlers' issue in plantation areas has become so dire that it is impeding operations in not only Allied Timber Zimbabwe, but other timber companies such as Border Timbers and Wattle Company, among others."

But the government's position on timber plantations is clear, as they should remain like that and no settlement should be done in plantations. The Timber Producers Federation report showed that forest-based land reform policy framework recognises that timber plantations are an acceptable and viable land use option, and as such should be allowed to thrive without conversion to other uses.

"Plantations will remain plantations and there is no change on that. We cannot cut down timber and grow maize on plantations. It might be only the ownership, which changes not the land use. However, I advised farmers not to cut immature timber. The rules of the timber industry must be followed otherwise we will all lose as a country," the then minister of Environment and Natural Resources Management Francis Nhema made a passion plea to the Chimanimani community.

A Mutare businessman Kenneth Saruchera said it was disturbing that Zimbabwe would soon become a net importer of timber.

"It is disturbing that Zimbabwe would soon be importing much of its timber requirements. Most of timber companies have closed down and there is need to work together to resuscitate the industry," Saruchera, who is also the Zanu PF Manicaland provincial secretary for administration told journalists in Mutare recently.

He however added that the new government would work vigorously to resuscitate the timber industry in Manicaland.

But other experts have said the government was neglecting the timber industry in Manicaland following the discovery of diamonds in Marange.

Out of a total 120 000 hectares in the 1999/2000 period, only 90 000 hectares of commercial estates remain due to persistent fires and settlements.

Sawn timber production, for example, has declined by more than half to 138 000 hectares ' from a peak of 395 000 hectares 12 years ago ' while paper products manufacturing has totally vanished from a high of 60 000 tonnes per year.

With the country gets almost 100 percent of its timber requirements from Manicaland province, the future of the timber industry looks austere as timber production has gone down to a low of only 64 percent of the 1997/8-timber peak, according to the latest figures.

Zimbabwe had a well-established plantation forest resource base covering some 155 853 hectares with about 90 percent of the plantations located in the eastern districts in Manicaland province.

The law on causing forest fires is also clear but there is need for the police to enforce it.
The country's Environmental Management Act clearly spells a fine of $5 000 per hectare for any offender but little has been done to enforce the law.