The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has published the draft amended broad-based black economic empowerment forest sector codes for public comment.
Interested parties had until January 6 to comment on the proposed codes, which were aimed at finalising the Codes of Good Practice-aligned transformation guidelines for the sector that were expected to stimulate and accelerate the manufacturing industry and rural development.
The Draft Amended Forest Sector Code set specific targets promoting the empowerment of rural communities, as many operations were primarily situated in rural and underdeveloped areas.
The draft proposed an ownership target of 7.5%, higher than the 3% of the generic codes set out by the DTI.
Further, the Draft Amended Forest Sector Code enveloped enterprises involved with commercial forestry and the first-level processing of wood products, including subsectors such as plantations, nurseries and indigenous forests; forestry contractors in silviculture, harvesting and fire-fighting services; pulp, paper, paperboard, timber board product, woodchip and wattle bark manufacturers; industrial, structural and mining timber sawmills and match producers; pole treatment plants; and charcoal producers.