Samuel Abu Jinapor
Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has stated that timber and timber product exports climbed dramatically from 302,183.046 cubic metres in 2021 to 343,440.081 cubic metres in 2022, representing a 13.65% growth.
According to him, this generated a total amount of €153,861,837.67 for the country last year.
Responding to questions on the floor of Parliament yesterday, Mr. Jinapor, however, stated that over the years, incessant degradation of the country’s forests, including illegal logging, illegal mining, wildfires, and agricultural expansion, among others, had resulted in a reduction of the forest estate and timber resources.
“For example, between 2010 and 2015 alone, a total of 160,210 hectares of our forest was lost. Yet, between 1963 and 2016, a period of 53 years, only 157,300 hectares of forest was cultivated, less than the amount of forest lost in just five (5) years,” he stated.
“Mr. Speaker, since 2017, the Government, through the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, continues to implement measures aimed at protecting and conserving our existing forests while restoring degraded ones,” he added.
The minister said they had intensified law enforcement, and deployed Rapid Response Teams of the Forestry Commission, supported by the Ghana Armed Forces, to clamp down on illegal activities in forest reserves and wildlife protected areas across the country.
“Reconnaissance, prospecting and/or exploration activities in Forest Reserves remain suspended, while there continue to be a ban on the harvesting, trading, export or import of Rosewood,” he noted.
According to him, the government is also implementing the Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan to ensure that timber on the domestic markets are sourced, processed and traded legally.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House