Govt urged to intervene in forests, timber certification

By Agnes Nantambi

The Government has been urged to certify Uganda’s privately owned forests and timber to enable it access markets while conserving the environment.

The Europe Aid deputy director general, Marcus Cornaro, said: “The Government should wake up and address issues related to tree planters.”

Cornaro’s remarks followed complaints raised by private tree planters supported by the Sawlog Production Grant Scheme (SPGS), an EU funded programme, during his visit to Green Ishamba Forest in Mpigi district.

SPGS aims at promoting private investment in timber production while promoting environmental conservation.

Patrick Mbonye, the proprietor of Green Ishamba, complained that the bureau of standards has not identified timber as a tradable commodity that needs to have a standard.

“We are worried because the fact that timber is not considered, it may lose market,” he said.

Bueno Sande, the SPGS project manager, said the organisation will work with the Uganda National Bureau of Standards and the Forest Certification Standard and Trade (FLEGT) to see whether special standards for timber can be developed and enforced.

“We shall be looking at standards of processing, marketing, grading, pricing and storage,” he said.

Sande said lack of timber standards leads to poor pricing, which ends up increasing forest degradation because too many trees are harvested for timber and sold at low prices.

He called upon the Government to meet the conditions required for the implementation of the Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) and also sign the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) to allow Ugandans export timber.

VPA is a mechanism established by the European Union to regulate timber trade, but Uganda has not put in place the required mechanisms to sign the agreement.

“We have not started implementing the FLEGT for us to be able to trade because the conditions are not yet met,” Sande said.

He encouraged small holder farmers to unite so that they can be certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council, which certifies plantations to be able to take advantage of the market.

“Do not think of one hectare. You should get together and get a big chunk of land so that you can benefit,” he advised.