THE Tanzania Forest Services Agency (TFS) has initiated a special desk for the rolling out of vital awareness to assist the traders in the country to venture professionally into forest business.
The unit established, provides the forest business – oriented traders with key awareness on forest harvesting, transporting tree logs and timber, as well as marketing.
The development comes amid increased demand for forest products within and outside the country.
Tanzania’s forest products business covers timber processing, utility poles, and non-wood goods like honey and resin.
In Tanzania, the economic sector contributes roughly between 3.4 and 4.3 percent to the national gross domestic product (GDP) through direct traded wood products like timber and poles.
When broad ecosystem services such as water regulation and carbon storage are included, the total economic footprint nears 20 percent of GDP.
Giving an exclusive interview to Zanzibarnews, the Acting Manager of TFS Central Zone, Ms Husna Msagati, said the strategy fosuses on attracting more players in the sector.
“Through the desk, TFS trains on the proper procedures needed to perticilate in forest products trade, a lucrative business activity that fetches the country high profits while boosting livelihoods among the involved traders,” she said.
To ensure sustainability in the sector, Msagati informed that the state- owned agency was implementing a number of strategies.
These, include the adoption of cloud- connected devices for aerial surveillance of forest, improving forest conservation efforts.
“TFS has introduced quality tailor- made drones for effective patrols of forest resources mapped in Tanzania,” she added.
However, she said other useful measures are being implemented on environmental conservation across the Central Zone and the country as a whole.
She cited a special tree planting initiative and free distribution of seedlings of varieties trees species as a good example of the strategies, saying, that fruit -trees seedlings are sold at set patriotic prices.
So far, TFS has introduced a user-friendly digital system for the registration process of forest traders in Tanzania.
And in further efforts to monitor forest products trade, including the harvesting and transportation of forest products, TFS has installed a tailor-made cloud-connected system.
Dubbed the “Forest Resources Management Information System” (FOMIS), the system also promotes accountability and transparency among all players involved in the key trades.