Wood, Furniture Sector Of MAN Faults Lifting Ban On Wood, Charcoal-

Wood, Furniture Sector Of MAN Faults Lifting Ban On Wood, Charcoal-

Advocates for the Export Of Locally Semi Processed WoodMary NnahWood and Wood/Furniture group under the auspices of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), has described the recent lifting of the ban on wood and charcoal by the federal government as anti-manufacturing, saying it will aggravate the depletion of the forestry reserves.

The lifting of the ban on wood and charcoal for export was announced recently by the Minister of Environment, Alhaji Muhammed Abdullahi. In a communiqué signed and issued to the media by the chairman of Wood and Wood/Furniture group, MAN, Mrs. Ngozi Oyewole at the end of an emergency meeting of its members, the group affirmed that the ban will further aggravate the depletion of the forestry reserves thus compounding the deforestation situation and climate crisis in the country. They also stated that the ban will lead to supply shortages in wood and allied products as well as result in sharp and astronomical price increases in wood and wood-based products.

In addition, the group noted that the cost of production will further increase thereby multiplying operating challenges for manufacturers and leading to business closure in the wood manufacturing sector. The Wood and Wood/Furniture group, therefore, advocated for the introduction of government policy on wood where only locally semi-processed wood can be exported, adding that such will attract higher foreign inflow. In addition, the communiqué reads: “Government should create the enabling environment for new technology adoption in the wood processing industry.

“There should be the establishment of the technical institute which will be solely dedicated to wood and allied products to train and equip human capital for the expansive wood industry.“Revamping of the tree planting policy of the government to mitigate and counterbalance the effect of continuous forest degradation.“Government to create the enablers and incentives to encourage private sector and individuals participation in establishing tree plantations’’.

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