(Business in Cameroon) - Since November 9^th 2012, the ban on the exploitation of this specie has rendered business difficult for carpenters. “The Bubinga wood is the strongest, the most decorated and the most requested. We hope that Bubinga addicts will turn to other species,” says Cameroon Tribune citing Vasco Kano, a carpenter in Yaoundé. “The absence of Bubinga influences our business because customers are quite demanding. If I have a big job to do now with Bubinga, I cannot and it penalizes me,” said Jean Paul Tankeu, a furniture maker. To deliver the last command of 20 beds in Bubinga he obtained recently, the carpenter says, he had to move to Ebolowa (192 Km from Yaounde) before manufacturing. “Customers do not understand that Bubinga has become scarce and expensive. Before, a board sold at 8,000 franc CFA, but it now sells at 15,000 ,” Says Gerome N., dealer in wood and manufacture of furniture.

In the absence of Bubinga and Wengue, users could fall back to other species available. “When my Stock will finish, it would be difficult to get more because my suppliers say they cannot find Bubinga. Not to feel this scarcity, I decided to invest in other species,” says Jules F., a wood dealer in Nkomo, a neighborhood in Yaoundé. According to some carpenters, some species such as Moabi, Sapelli or Zebrawood can substitute Bubinga. “We use the Padua, which by its colour is similar to Bubinga. If someone insists on Bubinga, you must first place an order,” says another furniture maker. Concerning Wengue, carpenters are not bordered to look for it, given its high cost and rarity. They prefer to limit its use to decoration.

Ministerial decision n°2401/Minfof/Cab of November 9, 2012 by the Minister of Forestry and Wildlife, Philip Ngole Ngwesse, suspended the exploitation of Bubinga and Wengue till further notice. According to the decision, a study will be conducted regarding export quotas for these species.

Jude Viban