An Evaluation of Profit Margin of Sawyers of Wood Products in the Forestry Zone Surrounding Kumba (Cameroon)

A total of 235 chainsaw milling (CSM) operations have been visited from 1st June to 31st July 2011 in order to interview 85 sawyers from 15 villages in the forestry zone surrounding Kumba, Cameroon. In the field, four categories of sawyers (Type I, II, III, and IV) were differentiated according to their motivations, challenges, production cost and profit. The main motivation of sawyers is financial, regardless of their categories. The CSM average production amounts to 12.78 m3 per operation requiring 2 standing trees (approximately 6.22 m3 per tree) every two months. In total, with expenses of 34,719 FCFA/m3, sawyers get revenue of 40,999 FCFA/m3 (i.e. +5,780 FCFA/m3 as profit). However, Type II sawyers earn a much higher profit than others (+12,829 FCFA/m3). In general, CSM is an economically rewarding activity in that the majority of the sawyers visited earn significant profit exception made of Type III. Regretfully, forest control (licences’ check-up) is a major drawback that sawyers regularly face because of the illegality of their activity. Most sawyers operate in informal way without paying taxes/licences so that the loss of earning to the State revenues is important. The government should therefore legalize this activity by reforming the licences awarded to various sawyers and guiding the implementation of a more transparent and formal taxation in this sector.