Minister of National Development Planning Lucky Mulusa says the forestry industry can significantly contribute to employment and wealth creation if well harnessed.
Mr Mulusa said the establishment of forest plantations countrywide is in line with Government’s economic development programme aimed at reducing overdependence on mining.
This is contained in the Seventh National Development Plan (7NDP) released by Mr Mulusa on Wednesday last week to run from 2017 to 2021.
“Zambia Forestry and Forest Industries (ZAFFICO) currently employs a good number of people under the tree planting exercise, financed by the Government.
“According to estimates made by ZAFFICO management, land clearing, preparations and planting of 40,000 hectares of land would provide direct employment opportunities to 40,000 seasonal employees,” Mr Mulusa said.
He said the forestry sector will make significant contribution to the national economy once all the plantations are fully operational.
“This will contribute to eliminating social exclusion faced by the majority of the people who are skilled and have had no employment opportunities for decades. It will also increase forest production and productivity through research and development,” he said.
He said Government will also promote investments in the sector through public-private partnerships in environmental, forestry and other natural resources.
Mr Mulusa said the Patriotic Front (PF) administration remains committed to supporting value addition to wood and non-wood forest products in line with its economic diversification programme through industrialisation.
Government has also made a commitment to facilitate the creation of community bee-keeping cooperatives and quantity of honey harvested from forests to spur sustainable economic development.
Mulusa dreams a lot and that’s a good thing. Is he the one who dreams of building a new capital city? It’s good to think big. But you’re not saying anything about availability of market. So far how much goat meat are we exporting to the Middle East? That was once a dream by PF Government?
All these PF dreams of mukulula tree, KK did it with eucalyptus and milaina tree in each province.
Your brian can’t survive in PF no matter how intelligent you are. Sooner or later, you start thinking dununa reverse. The opposite is true when you leave PF you start talking sense. Nothing political about this statement. Just check empirical evidence on the ground. Study GBM, Sylvia Masebo, Jonas Shakafuswa, and brother, Given Lubinda, Doctor Banda (Pilgrim) and many others who have found themselves moving from PF to UPND or vice versa. Once you join PF, its like you undergo a brain transplant where you are given an inferior brain.
I thought this guy was intelligent but since joining PF govt he seems to have lost it. Is he a chameleon?
Great idea when the trees mature enough to harvest in 20 to 30 years. 40000 seasonal jobs what happenned to no casualization policy so strongly espoused by labour minister.
How are pipo going to survive NOW.
Does Mulusa’s Ministry do anything apart from acting like a fake prophet whose dreams are not based on evidence based research. This is 21st century you do not have to have imaginations of new cities and trees without taking into account effects of climate change. Maybe the office was created to give prophecies about future development.
@Mr. Man kikikiki
Very good initiative. Namibians are feasting on our hardwood in Sesheke, all that can fall under one initiative and properly exported and the country can generate export tariffs and taxes. Nice one Honorable. You need to recapitalise ZAFFICO and rearrange its management too.
Export tariffs and taxes will make the timber less affordable they dont contribute to forex .
I have offered idea to create employment by compelling the mining companies to rehabilitate the land by replanting indigenous species. The youth/women/children can collect seed, germinate, grow out and plant seedlings . All of this should be paid for by the mining companies.
Agriculture dept have been told about a hardwood tree that can be harvested after 8 years. China grows it japan grows it but we dont have the vision. When will we forgo “topping up” and just be straight with what we do.
Topping up/corruption is endemic in our society
Its great to have leaders who have thrown away the box and thinking outside the box. A good leader must be able to plan of what to eat today as well as what to eat tomorrow.