AVOID BEING PROXIES, TIMBER PRODUCERS WARNED

DON’T be used as proxies by foreigners during the ex tended deadline for the ap plication of the new timber concession licences, timber producers have been cautioned.

The government has ex tended the deadline for new timber concessions by one month from May 31, to June 30, 2022.

Timber Producers Association of Zambia (TPAZ) President, Charles Masange warned timber producers not to be used as fronts at the application stage by the foreigners because they would stand to lose out in the process.

Mr. Masange said in an in terview that the challenge of local producers being prox ies was that all the licences would be owned by foreign ers and they would have no say in business. He said local producers should at all cost avoid being used by foreign ers as fronts in acquiring the concession licences because once the document comes out, they would have little ne gotiating power because they don’t own the certificate.

“What can happen is that foreigners can give them money to apply for licences, then after they are out, they can’t dictate the price, they will have little negotiation power because they are just proxies, they don’t own the concession,” he said.

And Mr. Masange has urged the government to con sider extending the tenure of the licences to a minimum of 10 years to promote sustain able forest management.

He said the current period of two years for small scale, five years for medium and seven for the large scale pro ducers was not enough to promote sustainable forest management. “With the cur rent tenure of concession li cences, it is difficult for timber producers to concentrate on replanting which promotes sustainable forest manage ment,” he said. Mr. Masange commended the government for extending the deadline for the application for new con cession licences.