(Business in Cameroon) - Plateforme Fôret et Communauté, a grouping of NGO's working for Governance in Forestry, has just revealed that China has become one of the main importers of Cameroonian timber. With “nearly 2.5 million m3 of forest products” imported over the period 2009-2014, of which about 85% in logs. According to the analysis of the NGO CES, this growth in export of Cameroonian timber to China is no coincidence. “The direction of Cameroonian timber exports to the Chinese market is due to the fact that there is really no constraining mechanism to ensure the legality of wood and timber products between China and producer countries”, claims Plateforme Fôret et Communauté.

As a reminder, in the EU zone, a market that was formerly popular with timber operators in Cameroon, a FLEGT-VPA is in force, which is a rigorous mechanism aiming to ensure the legality of wood and other timber products exported to the territories of the countries that make up the European Union.

BRM