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new policy brief from the Mwapata Institute shows that while plantation forestry contributes to Malawi’s economic growth through revenue generation, job creation, foreign exchange earnings from exports of timber products, the sector is faced by numerous challenges.
The challenges include a lack of adequate resources to develop the plantations, forest fires, unregulated or informal markets for forest plantation products, corruption, unfavourable taxation policies and delays in the approval of forest management plans.
According to the brief, other challenges include limited research and development, poor relationship with communities surrounding forest plantations, and insufficient forest infrastructure.
The brief, published last week, coincided with the launch of the 2024/2025 National Forestry Season under the theme, ‘Restore Forests and Land to Secure Food Production’.
Particularly, on lack of adequate resources, it states that the Department of Forestry faces limited human resources, deficiency in financial resources and appropriate equipment, such as fire-fighting equipment, guns and ammunition.
It reads: “…There is an inconsistency in the budget allocation, resulting in a mismatch between the planned annual budgets and the approved budgets for government-managed forest plantations. For instance, between 2019 and 2024, Viphya Plantation received half of its requested planned budgets.
“Between 2018 and 2022, Malawi lost more than 11 000 hectares (ha) of plantation forest to fires. The fires alter the forest landscapes, presenting a significant threat to biodiversity and the potential for forest recovery.”
While corruption remains a stumbling block, the research said stakeholders said it was difficult to deal with the vice because some political/economic elites are part of the corruption complex network.
Further, it said the fiscal policy instruments, like taxes, undermine the sustainability of forest plantations or disincentivize private-sector investments in forest management.
Currently, the 16.5 percent value added tax (VAT) is charged on most forestry machinery, equipment and tools, including fire trucks, tree-growing inputs, and personal protective equipment.
“Providing adequate financial and human resource support, enacting appropriate policy and regulatory frameworks for private sector participation, and increasing investment in research and development are key to the sustainable development of plantation forestry in Malawi.
“Further, there is a need for local communities’ engagement through participatory approaches in plantation forestry management,” it suggested.
Speaking in an interview last week, Vice-President Michael Usi, who is also Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, said promoting sustainable forest management through tree planting and natural regeneration was a cost-effective and efficient way to restore degraded forest landscapes.
“My ministry remains steadfast in providing the necessary resources, policy support, and technical expertise to ensure the success and sustainability of conservation and restoration initiatives. The ministry is taking significant steps to enhance their stewardship,” he said.
Malawi has over 98 000 hectares of plantation forestry and the largest forest is Viphya Plantation estimated at 53 000 hectares, according to the Mwapapa report.
