Jamaica must tap potential of charcoal exports

Guy Symes, Contributor

Since publication of my earlier contribution towards the end of January, we have had two responses from our learned colleagues of the University of the West Indies. Unfortunately, each of them seemed to be under the impression that I was advocating exploitation of the protected areas of southern dry forests that would lead to further ecological damage and extinction of already endangered indigenous flora and fauna.

However, nothing like that was my intention, but rather, I wanted to highlight that export marketing of charcoal presented a potentially viable opportunity for sustainable production of goods and services from renewable natural resources, i.e., forests and woodlands.

To understand that potential, I had asked a number of questions regarding the detainment of a shipment to the Middle East, but none of your readers has yet offered any answers, nor has any of your reporters. Of some concern was the origin of the material that was carbonised; I now understand that there are no signs of recent incursion into the protected areas, which suggests that the clearing of private lands was the source.

So, the real question is: Why was the shipment detained, and what is the present position?

In the meantime, The Gleaner published another interesting item revealing that the Bamboo and Indigenous Materials Advisory Committee (BIMAC) had pioneered the local production of bamboo charcoal, and that subsequently BIMAC had received enquiries from the United States and Turkey.

biodiversity issues

It is not expected that there will be any biodiversity issues regarding exploitation of Bambusa vulgaris, which, after all, is widely considered by Jamaicans to be an invasive pest. The sad truth is that while our bamboo has invaded privately owned, abandoned farmlands, the mature stems can be used to generate a wide range of economic products (including low-cost housing, plywood for school furniture, etc.).

However, care will have to taken in how it is harvested and utilised, and arrangements made for management of the value chain from field to market. The public should not worry too much about harvesting on the hillsides, as selection of mature stems (four or five years old) will not kill the clump and cause erosion.

I have also had an email enquiry from Turkey about 'marabou tree' charcoal (Dichrostachys cinera), a species apparently not grown in Jamaica, but I am sure that the charcoal quality desired could be matched if processed from various indigenous and exotic trees that are being grown in Jamaica. The prospective importer was seeking to be supplied with five 40-foot containers per month, at a f.o.b. price of US$370 per ton.

If we are serious about earning foreign exchange, this seems like a potential venture to be considered, given the extent of idle, underutilised and marginal land areas of Jamaica, as well as the need to generate gainful employment!

Such a prospect was identified by the National Forest Management and Conservation Plan (Forestry Department, 2001) which had proposed the establishment of fuelwood plantations, while the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica had actually conducted successful species trials on marginal lands in St Elizabeth.

I hope that when the detained shipment is released, the responsible entrepreneur will pursue a development programme to supply his markets, by organising (i) biomass residues from land clearing, (ii) thinnings from forest plantations, (iii) growing short-rotation fuelwood species, and (iv) processing of charcoal in efficient kilns.

Guy Symes is managing director of The Forest Conservancy. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and guysymes@gmail.com.