Government Promises To Included Commercial Forestry in Forest Bill During National Stakeholders Workshop.

Participants during the Stakeholder's Workshop at The Boma on 28th January, 2014 

Mr. Gideon Gathara during his speech at the Workshop

Participants drawn from all over the country listening to presentations. 

Ebby Chagala - KEFRI , James Forster- Gatsby Foundation, Hon. Sammy Weya-KEFGA, Gideon Gathara- Ministry of Environment, Water and Natural Resources, Joe Kibe- Tree Biotechnology Programme Trust and Gen. (Rtd.) H. Njoroge- KEFRI during the official opening of the commercial forestry stakeholder's workshop. 

Benson Kanyi making his remarks as host and convenor.  

Participants at The Boma Hotel in Nairobi 

Hon. Weya making a presentation. 

A Press Conference was also organised on the sidelines of the workshop to appraise the media on the issues discussed. 

The guest of honour at the high table with other officials. 

Conservation Secretary, Mr. Gideon Gathara has promised independent private forest owners in Kenya that their interests will be taken into consideration during the final drafting of the proposed National Forestry (Conservation & Management) Bill, 2013. 

He made the remarks during the forum that was organised under the aegis of Kenya Forest Growers Association (KEFGA) who have been running a sensitization campaign aimed at getting more attention and incentives for investors in the commercial forestry sector.

He informed the stakeholders that government would ensure that the proposed Forest Policy would be implemented to the letter and hence guide the sector for a long time to come. He noted that previously the Forest Master Plan of 1994 was not implemented and hence all the challenges that have faced the county in the last few years.

The current Forest policy and bill do not identify commercial forest growers as a distinct stakeholder group that must be identified and engaged with given their contribution to wood supply in the country as well as the role the sector plays in the conservation of natural forest which have come under pressure over the years.

Mr. Gideon Gathara was representing the Principal Secretary Ministry of Environment, Water and Natural Resources, noted that Uganda has a strong commercial forestry sector which can be attributed to immense support from the Ugandan government. “Aside from funding commercial forestry projects, the government of Uganda has allocated land to cater for the same. Part of our wood supply comes from Uganda”, he noted. 

It emerged that, the current plantation resources of 135, 000 hectares of government land and and estimated 150, 000 hectares of private land falls way short of what the country needs to produce a sustainable wood supply. The current forest cover in the country falls between 2.7 per cent and 6.7 percent of the total land area which is below the United Nation Environmental Programme recommendation of 10 per cent forest cover .

“Commercial forestry provides the only economically viable option for Kenya to increase forest cover and meet domestic wood demand, whilst harnessing the potential of forests to reduce poverty, improve domestic livelihoods and leveraging sustainable rural development”, said Hon. Sammy Weya who is KEFGA Vice Chairman, adding that commercial forestry should be recognized as an intrinsic and complementary component of national forestry regeneration and conservation strategy.

In a presentation made by Gatsby Charitable Foundation's Africa Programme Director, Mr. James Forster, participants were informed that Kenya needs to plant 150,000 hectares every year for the next 10 years so as to attain the 10% target by 2030. "If this is done, the county will save as much as US Dollars 400 million used annually to import timber and finished timber products" said Mr. Forster whose organisation supports  forestry and agriculture initiatives in East Africa. Kenya could also become carbon neutral if the said planting targets are met.  

Meanwhile, tree farmers are being urged to form unions in their counties as such will provide a professional and open level playing field that will not only boost the growth of commercial forestry but also see farmers making maximum profits from their investments in forestry. According to Mr. Benson Kanyi, Secretary General, KEFGA, among the biggest challenge most tree farmer face is lack of good prices for their wood and a majority of them end up selling at a lose.

 “Most farmers end up getting bad prices as the pricing is mostly determined by how well the relationship between the farmer and the broker is. Again, brokers take advantage of the fact that some farmers don’t quite know the value of their produce,” said Mr. Kanyi.

In Mombasa County, through the South Coast Forest Owners Association, tree farmers who are members have managed to address issues relating to value addition for better produce as well as wood prising. “Associations will provide solid grounds to address issues affecting investments in tree farming. This will also increase their negotiating power as they market their wood,” Said Gen (Rtd) Humphrey Njoroge, chairman, KEFGA.

Farmers are being advised to carry out extensive market research so as to realize best product prices before disposing their products in the market place. Farmers should also consult with local forest officers for additional information on valuation and pricing of their products.