@abbeylee
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Quality Assurance/ Quality control in terms of the raw materials, processes, packaging etc. This will ensure that the final products meet the local and international standards. The producers can register with the Charcoal Producers Association of Nigeria. Also, actors at the various stages on the chain can also be registered with the regulators (government at the various levels). With these the issue of illegality and short changing can be reduced if not completely curbed. Actors at the various stages can be held responsible for their actions and inactions. If well organized, actors can benefit from incentives given by government and the marketing of the products guaranteed.
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Good morning all.
There is a bright value chain for woody NTFPs in Africa but should be well organized. Everyone at every stage should be formally registered so that any illegal activities can be traced/tracked and promptly curbed. There is market for the products at domestic and international level. The issue of quality should be faced squarely through QC/QA so that products can meet the required standards especially in the international market.
With the ban on charcoal production and export in some countries, illegal activities should be curbed to the barest minimum. There is huge markets for wood carvings in Nigeria where stumps, branches and even roots of some tree spp are utilized Tree spp like Ebony and Iroko. Those involved in this sub-sector should be made to work with loggers where the left overs after log extraction of desirable spp can be used. -
In addition,forest resources users particularly those involved in logging activities should be well educated on the importance of NTFPs and the need for them to be protected during exploitation/harvesting of timbers. They should realise that a forest is an ecosystem with a lot of inter-relationships within the system. In Nigeria the experience has been that the loggers most of the times look at the forest from the perspective of timber and that if other resources are there they are of no importance/significance or at best of little importance. This mentality should change.
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