Chapter 2 - Wood and Wood Products, Markets and Trade

Abstract

Wood and wood products industry in Zambia includes sawn wood, wood-based panels, engineered wood products, pulp and paper, treated poles, builder’s joinery, and carpentry. The major driver of the wood industry development in Zambia has been mining and construction. Today, wood industry has developed with a processing capacity of over 1,500,000m3 per annum of various wood and wood products and providing over 10,000 jobs. The copper mining and construction industries continue to be the main domestic markets while trade in international markets has also been steadily increasing. Currently, there are a wide range of low quality wood products on the Zambian market most of which are produced locally by small and medium scale companies. However, with the increase in demand for value added certified wood products in green building and good government policy, private sector participation has been stimulated and the sector is expected to attract investment.