Mr. Anthony Partey Asare, Director of communications of Domestic Lumber Trade association of Ghana has appealed to government to grant tax waivers on imported Lumber.
The move, he said will enable the association to import process lumber in larger quantities from countries like Cameroon, Liberia and British Guyana.
He said, the voluntary partnership agreement between the government of Ghana and the EU unequivocally states that all wood sold on the market should come from a legal source.
He said it is the interest of the Domestic Lumber Trade Association of Ghana (DOLTA) to have Lumber from legal sources only, in a bid to protect the environment. According to him, the acquisition of Lumber is challenging since most concessions are owned and managed by foreigners whose interest is in the export market.
He said lumber traders in urban centers do not encounter huge problems since they could sell at any cost however accessibility of lumber to their counterparts in the hinterland is a huge challenge.
Mr. Asare who is also the acting chairman of Ashiaman Wood Dealers Association (Timber Market) Observed that the tax waiver on imported lumber would be an added advantage to the economy looking at the fast rate of deforestation “saying trees are renewable resources” In the short term, government is not deriving any revenue from the importation of lumber.
He was worried about the activities of illegal small scale miners and advised the forestry commission to reserve some select forests for a ten year period in furtherance of regeneration.
Source: The Briefing
