Bridging the Gap: linking timber trade with infrastructural ...

Figure 47
Quantities of charcoal (bags) recorded at Kibiti checkpoint, 2001
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Source: Kibiti checkpoint records, 2001.
Other forest products in trade
There is a dearth of data on forest products other than timber and charcoal traded from the study area.
This study focused on the most common forest products traded. According to district licence records, a
significant quantity of poles was harvested, mostly coming from the mangrove forests of Rufiji District.
Rufiji District recorded a total of 16 600 and 13 960 poles traded in 2000 and 2001 respectively (Table
29).
Table 29
Quantities of forest products other than timber and charcoal harvested in the study area by
district, 2000-2001
Product District 2000 2001
Firewood Nachingwea 1 head load 7 m 3
Ruangwa 13 m 3
Medicinal plants Nachingwea 2 kg and 2 m 3
Poles
Nachingwea 174 pieces and 10 scores 45 pieces
Rufiji 16 600 pieces 13 960 pieces
Woven plate Nachingwea 20 each
Source: District licence statistics, 2000-2001.
Limited data on other products transported through the Kibiti natural resource checkpoint were available
for 2001. These included carvings (Dalbergia melanoxylon), furniture, pallets and slabs (Table 30). A
total of 3.0 and 4.7 t of carvings were shipped from Mtwara port during 2000 and 2001 respectively.
Along with Bagamoyo, Mtwara, Tanga, Morogoro, Kibiti, Kisarawe and Chanika, Rufiji is an important
source of D. melanoxylon for the Mwenge carving market, the largest outlet of in East Africa (Malugu et
al., 2002). Jenkins et al. (2001) speculated that volumes of wood used by carvers are of the same order of
magnitude (approximately 2000-4000 m 3 annually) as are being processed by sawmills for export.
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