Timber Millers Warn Of Imminent Collapse Of Ghana's Timber Industry Due To Raw Materials Shortage
- The Ghana Timber Millers Organisation has warned of a shortage of timber raw materials in the country due to low production of raw materials
- Dr Kwame Asamoah Adam said the effects of climate change-induced-wildfires have depleted forest reserves leading to the collapse of several companies in the industry
- He has advised companies to begin cultivating timber plantations to stay in business
Ghana’s timber manufacturing industry is on the decline, and hundreds of employees risk losing their jobs as a result.
The country may be forced to start spending millions of cedis on timber imports following the collapse of 75 out of 100 local timber manufacturing companies in the past few years.
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The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Timber Millers Organisation, Dr Kwame Asamoah Adam, blamed the phenomenon on forest destruction caused by frequent bushfires.
He said that if the situation is not curbed, the remaining 25 timber companies in the Western North, Eastern, and Central Regions will have to permanently close their doors due to a shortage of raw materials.
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He said the fate of the country’s timber industry now depends on the success of the remaining 25 companies that continue to operate, export and provide jobs.
Emphasising the acute shortage of raw materials in the country, Dr Kwame Asamoah Adam said the quantity of round logs coming in has reduced from about 1.2 million m³ about 20 years ago to 500,000m³ now.
He urged timber industry players to sustain the industry by establishing timber plantations.
Dr Adam noted that while these wildfires caused by climate change have depleted much of the country’s timber resources, replanting trees could help prevent the industry’s untimely collapse.
He said commercial tree planting should be undertaken to serve as raw material for timber production.
And there should be concerted efforts by timber industry players to increase advocacy for the protection of forest reserves.
Fish crisis to hit Ghana
In a separate story, the Dean of the School of Natural Resources at the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) has warned that Ghana risks hunger and malnutrition by 2030 due to an anticipated drop in national fish production.
Professor Berchie Asiedu said that while the nation’s fish consumption is expected to hit 888,096 tonnes by 2030, total fish production would constitute only about 43 per cent of the fish consumed.
He said that while the current growth rate per capita fish is projected to decline from 28kg in 2018 to 23.9kg in 2030, fish consumption is expected to outweigh the national supply.
GSS projects Ghana’s population to double by 2050
YEN.com.gh reported that the Ghana Statistical Service has released its population projections for the country from 2021 to 2050.
The Statistical Service projects that the country's population will surpass 50 million by 2050.
Accra's population density is also expected to deepen by 2030, reaching 2,143 persons per square kilometre.
Proofread by Berlinda Entsie, journalist and copy editor at YEN.com.gh
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Source: YEN.com.gh
