Logging ban hurting furniture business, investor says

A tractor ferrying timber from a forest. A foreign investor says the ban on logging is affecting furniture business.
 

A foreign investor has decried the ban on logging, saying it is hurting their furniture business.

PG Bison South Africa, which has more than 16 years of history in Kenya, wants the government to relook the policy.

It was established in September 2002 to supply interior decorative building materials to the construction and furniture sector in East Africa.

Speaking on Friday at city hotel PG Bison's MD director Hitesh Mediratta said the policy will roll back the gains made in furniture manufacturing in Kenya.

“Duty on raw materials was unexpectedly increased to 35%,” he said.

Mediratta said the ban on logging increased timber prices.

He said the Kenya Association of Manufacturers is negotiating with the government to consider the long-term impact of the ban.

“We have a strong environmental ethos and our push towards sustainability. All the timber used in the manufacture of our products is sourced from either FSC certified forests or post-industrial waste all originating from a sustainable source. Therefore, we do not contribute to the degradation or destruction of our African forests,” Mediratta.

Source: The Star