7. Conclusion

Availability of statistics on production, consumption and trade of wood products in Namibia is scanty and to a certain extent non-existent. Presently, there is no systematic and routine national mechanism in place for collection and regular dissemination of wood products statistics in Namibia. Therefore, there is a need to set up such a system.

The Directorate of Forestry has made a start towards improvements in this area through the established Forest Permit System. The Forest Permit System captures data from permits issued by the Directorate of Forestry officials. However, there is need for wider collaboration with and participation of other stakeholders, both private and government institutions, involved in data collection of wood products, in order to develop a complete and reliable picture of wood products production, consumption and trade in the country.

There is a need for, and it is therefore recommended to carry out, a comprehensive survey of institutions dealing with wood products in the country to reliably ascertain the quantities and values of wood products traded. It seems that presently, private institutions are reluctant to providing information to individuals. An officially organised survey would yield more results that are useful.

The data collected must be analysed and interpreted in a user-friendly manner to enable laymen to easily understand it. The analysis should include information mainly in two parts: trade in locally produced wood products; and trade in imported/exported wood products. The data on locally produced wood products should include their quantities and prices, production capacities and actual production of the various wood products dealers in the country, the different categories of wood products dealers and their estimated contribution to the forestry sector etc. The data on imported/exported wood products must critically analyse products actually produced in Namibia and exported, wood products imported and not locally produced, wood products that are re-exported etc. Only in this way will a clear picture of the contribution of the forestry sector to the Namibian economy emerge.