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SudanJack
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| Joined: | Mon Oct 24th, 2005 |
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Posted: Wed Oct 26th, 2005 07:40 am |
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I currently work in the humanitarian field with a specialisation in post-conflict environments. For some time now I have been looking to start a responsible commercial project in one of these countries that I feel, will not only make me money, but also contribute to the geo-political stability of the region.
I currently work in Southern Sudan and have discovered that during the British Colonial rule several large Teak Plantations were established. Due to 3 decades of almost constant civil war and a total lack of infra-structure these plantations have remained largely untouched for 30 years - neither harvested or tended.
I know that several companies are interested in coming into Sudan in the short term and liquidating the current Teak assets. However, I am currently investigating the possibility of setting up my own company, gaining forestry concessions, getting these plantations FSC accredited and establishing a lucrative business that will benefit the local population over many years.
I would love to hear from anyone who has any comments or suggestions on this project. In particular, I'd appreciate comments from anyone who has forestry experience in Sudan or anyone who knows whether it is possible to access old colonial plantation maps. If anyone has started looking into this already and would be happy to compare notes, I'd also like to talk to them.
Thanks,
Jack.
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Fred Morgan
Sponsor
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Posted: Wed Oct 26th, 2005 11:21 am |
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Welcome SudanJack!
This sounds very interesting.
The more you can keep there, the better, as far as labor, etc. Most international companies like to move everything elsewhere. For example, a lot of the teak here gets cut into sawn logs and shipped to India (Indian purchasers) The don't pay much. I appreciate India needing teak for it's workers, but I appreciate more if they grew their own. The vast majority of teak here is very young, less than 15 years of age.
Sustainable sawing would be great. This means to remove the trees that are the poorer quality, leaving the larger trees to get larger. At 30 years, the loggers will tend to want to clear cut - but if you can remove those that are crowding, that would be great. The larger the diameter, the better the price. After having 30 years invested in the growth, it would be a shame to start over. However, you should do some test cuts before you buy. If the climate is wet, when teak crowds, it can get heart rot. Teak can look very good from the outside, but until you drop a few and cut them into, you don't really know.
Do you read Spanish? Lucía just sent me a document (which I have just started reading) which looks like a pretty complete treatment of teak. It is a PDF so I can send it to you if you would like. It is by FONAFIFO here. It is about 121 pages so it will give you some interesting reading. It is specific to Costa Rica but there is a lot of good information there.
This sounds like a very interesting project and it would definitely be a help to the locals. It is hard to have people peaceful if they have no jobs.
One thing most people don't realize is how little profit the owners of the plantation receive if they are not astute. Selling wood "on the foot" as it is called here, or stumpage will cause you to lose most of the value - the logger and the sawmill and the broker will get their markups, and that markup a lot of the time is doubling the price. I have an article I wrote about this. Perhaps I can modify it and post it up here.
I said that to say this. There is a minimum size to plantations and the investment. It requires equipment and knowledge on how to maintain and harvest them. As I generally tell people, if you want to do well, you have to realize (if you are doing it to get a return) that you are not in the tree business, but the lumber business. For example, a grower of tomatoe plants isn't in the tomato plant business, but tomatoes. Having pretty plants doesn't mean much if there is no fruit. I know this sounds simplestic, but you wouldn't believe how many people forget it until it is time to sell wood.
There are plenty of ways to sell direct but that is where a significant amount of your time will need to be placed. The locals can grow trees, cut them, etc. but what they don't have usually is the ability to by-pass all the layers so that the lumber brings the best price.
Some of this might not apply to your situation, but it is better to dump a lot of information and let you thin it out than just give you what I think you need.
One thing to search for as soon as you can is a local forestry engineer. They will be a wealth of information for you. They should also be able to answer most of your questions and connect you with people who have done plantations, etc. in Sudan.
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SudanJack
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| Joined: | Mon Oct 24th, 2005 |
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Posted: Wed Oct 26th, 2005 11:56 am |
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Thanks, that was really helpful. Unfortunately I don't speak Spanish but if you come across a similar document in English I'd be really grateful.
In order to maximise both profit and social benefit I am aiming to get as much of the processing as possible close to the source of timber. (This is also beneficial to security as it cuts down our exposure on the less than safe roads!!) Therefore, any enterprising Sawmill or Kiln owner who would be interested in an expansion into Sudan is also more than welcome to get in touch. At the very least, I'd be interested in what questions they have and what conditions they'd require before coming on board.
When I've done more home work on what the legal status is of the forestry concessions I'll get back to you, hopefully with some pictures of the plantations too. At that stage I'll be looking for an assesment from a forestry engineer ...... anyone interested in a trip to Southern Sudan out there??!!
Thanks again,
Jack.
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Fred Morgan
Sponsor
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Posted: Wed Oct 26th, 2005 12:48 pm |
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Hi Jack,
I would be surprised if there are no forestry engineers in the country. Usually they can be found by contacting the ministry of the environment or they will point you to the right place.
While you are digging out your information - you might want to research into portable sawmills - for example - Woodmizer or Peterson's. You don't have to invest a huge amount anymore to process wood. Every bit of the value-added sawing you can do, the better off you will be. Of course, it does require more investment to get started.
So, how dangerous is Southern Sudan....?
As far as the document - I could probably run it through a translation software for you - some parts might not make sense, but over all it would be good. This is one of the more comprehensive documents I have seen.
Fred
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SudanJack
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Posted: Thu Oct 27th, 2005 06:14 am |
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Again, thank you so much for your help. Yes, I'd appreciate a translation of that document (even if bits of it are slightly jumbled!)
I was very interested in your thoughts on mobile sawmills. I had come accross them during previous research but had assumed they were very low output. Is there a minimum sawmill output : hectorage ration you would reccomend when servicing a sustainable teak plantation?
One of the things I know very little about is the drying process. Does this involve kilns? Is it essential? Can timber be transported before drying? etc etc
I don't hold out high hopes of finding a forestry engineer in Sudan, although I guess as the industry starts to grow there a few will crop up. However, I may be being pessimistic and will have an ask around.
As for the security there, it's actually fairly safe. However, that comes with the caveat that there is no effective government in the more remote areas other than that provided by local elders. To which end, keeping locals onside is vital. The other threat is the Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army who's territory unfrotunately covers my planned main logistic route. However, as more and more aid agencies and businesses move into Southern Sudan these routes are becoming better used and protected. Having said that, simple risk mitigation such as varying routes and times, keeping locals onside, gethering local infomation and minimising exposure are all worth applying and will help cut down the risk further.
Look forward to hearing from you again shortly,
Jack.
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Fred Morgan
Sponsor
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Posted: Thu Oct 27th, 2005 01:07 pm |
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I know of some very large (thousands of hectares) using only portable sawmills. The reason is that you damage the land much, much less.
A reasonable number of board feet per day could be 1,000 to 3,000 per saw mill. Perhaps more with larger units. Usually 2 to 3 people per sawmill is a good number, sometimes more. Usually, more people will produce a higher output.
The advantage is bringing the saw to the field, instead of having to haul the wood to the sawmill. This means much less heavy equipment, which reduces compaction, erosion, etc. Also, if you have say two or three portable sawmills - if one breaks, you are still sawing - where if one large one breaks, you aren't producing anymore.
Here, usually the wood is not dried before shipping - however, if you can, you will get more for it. Solar kilns are a good idea and not that expensive to build. The reason often is that the ambient moisture here is much higher than in the destination, so you can dry it, but it won't stay dried.
You will almost certainly need to secure the services of a forestry engineer somehow. This is the most important person you will have if you are trying to do something sustainable. If you don't have one available, you might have to "make" one.
I'll see what I can do in translating the document. Perhaps the best will be for me to send you the document and point you to site on the internet that have free translation software.
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SudanJack
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Posted: Thu Oct 27th, 2005 01:31 pm |
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That all sounds good. Been heavily into internet research today and am rapidly learning just how many aspects to this business there are, and that's before I've even started on the logistics, sales, accounts etc etc!!
Anyway, I'm actually really excited and the more I read the more feasable it seems. All I have to do now is get the Sudanese government onside and avoid being robbed blind at every turn!!
Solar kilns definately seem like a good option for Sudan as do portable sawmills. I think due to the rugged nature of the countryside and the size of the trees (not to mention my small budget) a swinger mankes more sense than a band saw .... any comments?
I've actually had everything a little delayed because I've been sent off to Democratic Republic of Congo for a few weeks but, as and when things progress, I'll keep you updated.
Jack.
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Fred Morgan
Sponsor
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Posted: Thu Oct 27th, 2005 02:11 pm |
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Yes, I would tend to go with a swinger - teak is murder on blades. It has a lot of silicone - think cutting sand... People do use the bandsaw too - but at 30 years, your trees are probably pretty big.
Swing blades can be moved to the logs so you don't have to lift the logs. Teak is very heavy too.
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teak timber
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| Joined: | Sat Jun 24th, 2006 |
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Posted: Sat Jun 24th, 2006 07:33 am |
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hi jack,
i am also interested in timber sourcing from sudan.
i heard that there is good teak forest arounf Bor and juba.
please let me know the social conditions of south sudan and forest area there.Is it risky to source teak from there?
teak timber
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SudanJack
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Posted: Sun Jun 25th, 2006 08:14 am |
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Hi there, I'm out here at the moment and am pursuing several business oppourtunities. Please email me at mail@jackperschke.com and we can exchange notes.
Jack.
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nigel
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Posted: Sat May 5th, 2007 09:04 am |
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Hi,
Im also being asked to invest in Southern Sudan Teak and wondered what happened to your project?
My guess is that this is not a straightforward adventure?
Kind regards,
Nigel
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akkhairkar
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Posted: Mon Aug 4th, 2008 12:59 pm |
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Dear Sir ,
I may be very late in reply to your qerry posted on this website . Still I am replying.
I am a farmer in Central Indian State of Maharashtra India , I have planted 40,000
Teak trees 22 years ago . Now I want to develop a full industry for making the whole project a success , All these 22 years ( from 1986 till Date ) I have been investing my salary as an engineer into this project .
Now its the ripe time , which I find the same situation as your .
Please guide me on your experiences , here in India it is a protected tree and cannot be cut without government permission . This requires lot of effort and money to get it through .
Pl tell me about your experience..... regards a k khairkar -91 9423118832
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