The_Open_Door_deel1

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Attempts To Establish A National Wood Processing Industry
The destination of the Liberian timber produced by the various
logging and sawmill companies has changed significantly since the
start of logging operations in Liberia in the late 1950 's.
Whereas in 1962 about half of the timber production was produced
by non-forestry concessions such as the mining concessions and
Firestone, for their own use (43), five years later these nonforestry
concessions' share in total timber production had
decreased to "only" 19.5 per cent. This change was due to (a)
decreased production by these concessions, and (b) an increased
production by others. In 1962, e.g. the largest timbering and
sawmill operation in the country was LAMCO's, which company
produced ties for its railroad which was then under construction.
As the production capacity of the 15 sawmills which were then in
operation in the country - besides a number of independent pit
sawyers - was below the mining company's needs, more than half
of the ties needed for the Nimba - Buchanan railroad were
imported from Brazil (44)- In 1966/67 the mining company still
produced a considerable share of all timber produced in the
country, but the company with the largest production had become
MIM Timber Company (see Table 21). This company had started
operations in 1961 and in 1966/67 owned the principal sawmill
of the country (located on the Buchanan - Ganta road which had
been constructed by LAMCO before and during the construction of
the railroad) (45).
Whereas MIM Timber Company was the main producer of sawn timber
in the country in 1966/67 (and selling mainly to LAMCO), the
country's most important exporter of round logs was the
Maryland Logging Company (M.L.C.) which company had started
operations in 1960. The portion of exports in the total
production, which in 1966/67 was 31 per cent, doubled within a
year and was 62 per cent in 19 68. Five years later this figure
was even 85 per cent although the following year, 1974, it had
again dropped to 69 per cent (46).
On an average, however, 75 per cent of the total production of
logs were exported in the form of round logs (unprocessed) whilst
only 25 per cent were processed locally in the five year period
1970 - 1974 (47).
The conclusion to be drawn from these figures is that (1 ) the
improved infrastructure which made logging operations possible
was used mainly to facilitate the export of timber (mostly in
unprocessed form, i.e. round logs), and (2) the increase in the
number of logging companies was not accompanied by a
corresponding increase in the production of sawn wood.
Logging is a capital intensive operation which provides
relatively little employment. The desire to establish a wood
processing industry and to process logs locally - thus