"This is because Uganda has not seen forestry as a major industry yet. People think it is all about small sawmills and charcoal but there is a need to have big companies," he said at a stakeholders' workshop at Hotel Africana in Kampala.
Jacovelli said in other countries like Swazi1and, forestry is the biggest investment, accounting for 25% of the Gross Domestic Product, yet trees in Uganda grow three times faster. ,
The Uganda Investment Authority's executive director, Dr. Maggie Kigozi, urged investors in forestry to handle tree planting as any other business and not to expect grants from the Government.
One of the issues the stakeholders raised was the unclear policies used by the National Forestry Authority (NFA) to regulate the sector.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200807040016.html
Kampala - BENEFITS from the commercial forestry industry ave not been fully realised, Paul Jacovelli, the chief technical advisor of the Sawlog Production Grant Scheme has said, writes Winfred Kagwe.