The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Anu Jinapor, has announced that the government will from July, this year, stop the issuance of permits to trade in rosewood on the international market.
According to him, the move is aimed at stopping all activities related to the business of rosewood.
“We have placed an outright ban on the harvesting, salvaging, trading, exporting and importing of Rosewood and effective July 2, we cease the issuance of the convention of international trade and endangered species of wild fauna and flora permit which is required to legally trade rosewood on the international market where the cartels in this business ply their trade.”
“The Forestry Commission has established a rapid response team, which is collaborating with other security agencies to enforce the strict ban and clamp down on all illegal logging activities,” he said at the Green Ghana Project.
The Ministry has also instructed the Forestry Commission to “cease the issuance of CITES permits for the purposes of exporting Rosewood, whether the Rosewood was acquired legally or otherwise.”
Rosewood still remains a restricted wood species under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
