Deforestation: FG Proposes Ban On Charcoal Exportation

As part of efforts to address the country’s deforestation problem, a proposal has been made to the Federal Government to prohibit charcoal export and felling of trees.
Gabriel Aliu, Assistant Comptroller General of Nigerian Customs Service, stated this while presenting the report of the Technical Committee on Product Adjustment of Categorisation on Export Expansion Grant (EEG).

Aliu, who is the chairman of the committee, presented the report on Wednesday in Abuja to Mr David Adulugba, Executive Director, Nigerian Export Promotion Council.
The technical committee was set up in April to review the current EEG product categorisation following complaints from beneficiary companies and other stakeholders.
The committee recommended that the three tiers of government be advised to adopt aggressive afforestation programme, warning that if urgent measures were not taken, the country would suffer its environment consequences.
``Unless we stop the deforestation there would be problem in the near future.

``We are not saying that the charcoal export should be prohibited alone but felling of trees for this purpose”.
He said the current EEG product categorisation had been adjusted to encourage non-oil products export and increase non-oil revenues accruing to the country.
He said that if implemented effectively, the recommendation would give more strength to the nation’s currency as well as provide jobs for the populace.

``We will have more foreign currency and the naira will be stronger; not only that, there will be more employment for the people because if you expand your factory, you will employ more people”.
He said that the categorisation of products which was in three bands before had been recategorised into four.
He said products had been regrouped into category ‘A1’, manufacturing products; category ‘A2’, semi-manufactured products; category ‘B’, processed/intermediate products and category ‘C’, primary products/agricultural and mineral products.
He said the committee also recommended that where a manufacturing exporter exports products manufactured by another company or non-manufactured products, merchant status should apply to the products.

The committee also recommended that ownership of manufacturing, processing and /or producing facility shall only be restricted to ownership by outright acquisition or by a long-term lease where control of the production operations can be fully established.

It recommended that that the NEPC should establish a product display centre where samples of all exportable products would be displayed and accessed whenever the need arises.