TIMBER PRODUCERS’

FEDERATION’S PRESENTATION

AT THE NATIONAL CONSULTATIVE

DIALOGUE WORKSHOP ON LAND TENURE

AND LAND POLICY IN ZIMBABWEHARARE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTER

15-16 FEBRUARY 2018

PRESENTATION OUTLINE

• Who We Are

• Our Location

• Our Industry’s structure

• Our Industry’s contribution

• Our Challenges

• Consequences

• Land Tenure – Recommendations

• Conclusion

WHO WE ARE

The Timber Producers Federation is an association oftimber growers and sawmillers in Zimbabwe.

Members▪ Allied Timbers Zimbabwe (Pvt)Ltd

▪ Border Timbers

▪ The Wattle Company

▪ Mutare Board and Paper Mills

▪ Manica Boards and Doors

▪ Timber Products International

▪ Manica Boards and Doors Total 15 & continues to grow

▪ Reeldorn

▪ Hotspeck

▪ Tanganda Tea Company

▪ Forest and Sawmilling Contractors

▪ Service Providers

OUR LOCATION◆ The commercial timber industry is concentrated in the eastern

highlands of Zimbabwe in Manicaland.

◆ The eastern highlands are the only

area in Zimbabwe with suitable

Climatic and environmental

Conditions for the fast growing

Exotic species

◆ 200000ha in extent a mere 0.02% of the national area of 39.6mil ha.

◆ Timber rotations are long – 25 years for structural timber 15 years forpoles and 10 years for wattle extract

FF

Forestry- a Long Term InvestmentLong Term Value Chain

OUR INDUSTRY’S STRUCTURE

◆ Private sector owns about 60%

◆ Public Sector represented by a State entity 40%

◆ Industry is vertically integrated - planting to value addition

◆ 3 big sawmills currently with a combined capacity of

±120 000m3 year-1

◆ Over 25 mobile mills with a combined capacity of

250 000m3year-1

◆ 6 pole treatment plants with a combined capacity of

± 18 500 m3year-1

◆ 10 Value addition plants – truss plants, door plants board

manufacturing plants

BIOLOGICAL RESOURCE AS AT DECEMBER 2016

AREA AGE DISTRIBUTION

YEARS 1 - 5 6 - 10 11 - 1516 -

2021 - 25 25 > UNKNOWN

Pine (ha)10

1499 677 6 696 6 592 6 548 10169 -

Eucalyptus (ha) 4 685 1 572 1 077 1730 1622 2 293 -

Wattle (ha 1 738 3 019 2 289 - - 27 -

Total Plantation

(ha)16 572 14 268 10 062 8 322 8 170 12 489 -

TIMBER INDUSTRY CONTRIBUTION TO SOCIO-ECONONIC DEVELOPMENT

◆ 3-4 % contribution to GDP

◆ Exports earning foreign currency of USD130m in 2011, USD21m

in 2016.

◆ Employment opportunities - ± 15000 (formal & informal)

◆ Livelihoods for local communities- firewood, mushroom honey

small construction poles

◆ Health facilities – clinics for employees, & communities

◆ Education – provide quality schools for employees &

communities

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS

◆ H2O catchment protection

◆ Climate change mitigation (CO2 sequestration)

◆ Clean the air – trees are the earth’s lungs

Regional Exports Destinations

Namibia

To

Kenya

Zambia

Mozambique

South

Africa

Botswana

CHALLENGES FACING THE INDUSTRY

▪ Conflicts in National Legislation:

▪ Mines & Minerals Act vs Forest Act

▪ Mining Special Grants offered in Gazetted Forests

▪ Gold panning in gazetted forests .eg. Tarka & Maswera Forests

▪ Land Resettlement Act vs Forest Act

▪ Mabonda in Penhalonga has new settlements – Offer

letters from Ministry of Lands

▪ Traditional & Local leadership allowing settlements in

Gazetted & Commercial Forest Plantations e.g.

▪ Martin Forest in Chikukwa

▪ Tarka Forest in Ngorima

▪ Gwendingwe Forest in Muusha

▪ Cashel Estates in Mutambara

CHALLENGES FACING THE INDUSTRY

Policy inconsistence● New settlements in forest estates resulting in:

• Land use change from forestry to agriculture

• Plantation area reduction

▪ Uncontrolled fires

▪ Burnt forest plantations, property & wildlife

▪ Wanton cutting down of trees for cultivation

▪ Illegal harvesting of timber;

▪ Stray cattle & goats destroying young trees

▪ Diversion of River tributaries

▪ Siltation of Rivers

▪ Destruction of Forestry Business

▪ Destruction of Peoples’ Livelihoods/Employment

▪ Degradation of the Environment

Consequences

Loss of investor confidence

Inadequate raw materials

Closure of companies/units

● Charter sawmill

● Paulington factory

● Hunyani Timbers pole treatment plant

Loss of employment

Loss of livelihoods

Loss of foreign exchange earnings

Timber imports ≈ 8years!

AAAREA LOST TO FIRE: 2007-2016

2265

3552

155

500

2771

475

3175

997

3717

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Are

a L

os

t (h

a)

ARKA ESTATE

CHALLENGES- MARTIN CHIMANIMANI

RIVER 2006 SETTLED AND SILTED RIVER 2014

FOREST PLANTATION IN 2006 SETTLEMENTS & CULTIVATION 2014

MABONDA AREA-PENHALONGA(Source of Mutare River)

PLANTATION AREA IN 20066 PSETTLED & DEGRADED IN 20144

MABONDA AFFECTED AREAS

TARKA ESTATE

PLANTED AND CLEAN WATER IN 2006 SETTLED AND SILTED RIVER IN 2014

CASHEL-TANDAI ESTATE

PLANTED FOREST IN 2005 SETTLED & DEGRADED IN 2014

Chisengu River affected by siltation

Tree felling in compartments

Old shelter. Unmigrou were thinned and

pruned by settlers to allow maize

cropping.

.

maize crop – estimate 200kg/ha?? Settler . Occasional surviving pine in cropping area.

Brand new structure being erected post fire.

Poles ready to be loaded for Mutare markets

Land Tenure - RECOMMENDATIONS ◆ Forests are a legitimate land-use option

◆ Our forests should not be regarded as excess land that can be called –up to grow food crops

◆ Accord secure land tenure to timber industry

◆ At lease 3 rotations

◆ Free hold tenure systems preferred

◆ No settlements in plantations

◆ Industry appeals to authorities to save the nation’s forests for posterity

◆ Carry out land audits

◆ Land –use plans at the national and subnational level

◆ Compensation for land lost by companies covered by bi-lateral cooperation agreements

THANK YOU FOR

LISTENING