The impact of the promotion of six lesser-used species on Ghana’s timber trade and industry

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Date
1998-02-15
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Abstract
The issue of promoting lesser-used timber species with the aim of enhancing timber trade and industry in Ghana was examined in the light of the diminishing stock of primary species. The impact of promoting six lesser-used species namely; Antiaris toxicaria (Chenchen), Celtis mildbraedii (Essa), Ceiba petandra (Onyina), Petersianthus macrocarpus (Esia), Cylicodiscus gabunensis (Denya) and Sterculia oblonga (Ohaa) was considered with respect to availability, processing, utilization and market avenues. The study thus involved information search on stocking data, log production and export statistics of all important classified (FIP Class 1) species including the six selected LUS. TEDB, FPIB, Forestry Department and Wood Processing Firms were interviewed using structured questionnaire to find out the stocking levels, available processing facilities, processing problems, available markets, incentive packages and other strategies for promoting the six LUS. The results of the survey showed that, of the six species Onyina and Chenchen have been widely used by the industry for veneer and plywood production due to their ease of peeling. Essa and Esia have been used for furniture but not to a large extent, whiles Denya is not used much due to its high density. It was found that majority of the mills participate in trade fairs with the aim of promoting their LUS products. Inadequate seasoning and preservation facilities were identified as a major constraint in their promotional efforts. Other equally important promotional problems noted were unknown working and technical properties of the LUS. It is noted that the industry would need to develop an aggressive and effective marketing strategy that requires a thorough understanding of the inter-relationships between those factors that influence end-user acceptance of new species in both the local and foreign markets. Areas that need to be focused in promoting LUS in Ghana have been identified for further studies. These include manpower training in machining, kiln-drying and sawing techniques, establishing appropriate drying schedules, chemical treatment and acquisition of the appropriate machinery to take care of the machining characteristics of the species.
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A thesis submitted to the Board of Postgraduate Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of the Degree of Master of Science in Wood Technology and Management, 1998
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