Minister reiterates govt's bid to observe ban on rosewood export

 Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Honourable Samuel Abu Jinapor has reiterated the government's commitment to ensuring that the exportation of rosewood was not revisited.

According to the Minister, though a similar ban was imposed on the harvesting of rosewood on 31 August 2012 by the then Minister for the sector, Honourable Mike Hammah imposed a ban on harvesting Rosewood except for some five companies who were harvesting in the Bui Dam Reservoir which banned he said lasted for just a month and was lifted on October 5, 2012. The Minister indicated that on July 15, 2015, the ban was reimposed but lifted shortly on the 15 July 2014 with an accompanying permit given to thirteen companies in 2015 under the then Minister, Honourable Nii Osah Mills. Honorable Jinapor was answering questions on the floor of Parliament indicating that the Nana Addo government was resolved to ensure that rosewood was not harvested.

He said the government in 2017 after realizing the unsustainable nature of the industry and minded to preserve the forest, reimposed the ban on the harvesting and exporting of the rosewood. However, the minister said following verifiable reports of large numbers of rosewood lying in the bush, the government granted salvage permits to certain companies to evacuate rosewood lying in the bush and were permitted to export the salvaged wood. "Alongside the salvaging, illegally harvested rosewood confiscated were auctioned, and the purchasers permitted to export them", the Minister disclosed.

"However, our intelligence revealed that some unscrupulous people harvest the wood illegally and when they are confiscated, they manage to participate in the lawful auction of the wood and then disingenuously turn around to export them to the international market", he explained.

To curb the phenomenon, he said a ban was imposed on the export, import, or trading in the rosewood. To give effect to the ban,   the Minister noted that the government ban the auctioning of rosewood. He said the Government has directed that all confiscated rosewood were to be donated to the National Cathedral Project.

He said by the directive of the president, he asked the Forestry Commission to cease the issuance of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) permits for exporting rosewood whether acquired legally or otherwise.

The Minister said the ban on the issuance of the CITES permits has largely stopped the export of Rosewood from the country. "I will be very grateful if any person, entity, and or member of the House can furnish us with intelligence, evidence, and or lead, on any breaches of the ministry's ban and if that was done and established, we will not hesitate to act swiftly and ruthlessly", he said.