The Congolese forest industry has lost 30 per cent of revenue to the financial crisis, Henri Djombo, Minister of Sustainable Development, Forest Economy and Environment said Tuesday in Brazzaville.
“Reduced activities of logging companies have led to the decline in jobs of about 30 per cent in this sector,” Djombo told the press.
He welcomed the stimulus measures by the government, noting that “these are to encourage companies to restructure and turn to the local market and that of Central Africa”.
The new Congolese forest code, which dates back to August 2000, requires from loggers to process 85 per cent of their wood production and to export only 15 per cent in the form of logs.
About 40 logging companies operate in the north and south of the Congo.
The forest covers about 22 million hectares, two-thirds of the country’s area.
Congo’s logging sector accounts for five per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 13 per cent of its export earnings.
