Second only to China! Vietnam becomes the second largest buyer of timber from Cameroon, but most transactions are non compliant?

According to a report by Cameroon Business Daily, a report titled "Stolen Timber, Blaspheled Temples: The Negative Impact of Cameroon Vietnam Timber Trade on Cameroonian People and Forests" pointed out that with the rapid shift in trade flow, Vietnam has surpassed other countries to become the second largest market for Cameroonian timber in just a few years, second only to China.

At the same time, Cameroon has also become the largest supplier of tropical timber to Vietnam, replacing the Southeast Asian tree species previously used by Vietnam. Data shows that from 2016 to 2019, it accounted for 25% of Vietnam's total imported logs..

However, the report also mentioned that even though the timber trade between Cameroon and Vietnam is becoming increasingly close, it has little effect on increasing Cameroon's national fiscal revenue, as related financial transactions often adopt covert methods.

It is reported that these transactions are mostly completed in cash form and accompanied by false declarations. According to statistics, between 2014 and 2017, the transaction amount declared by Cameroonian exporters was $308 million less than the amount declared by Vietnamese importers.

In addition to the declaration gap, the report also pointed out other violations by Vietnamese forestry operators operating in Cameroon.

The report points out that the rapid expansion of timber trade between Cameroon and Vietnam is based on "shocking plans and illegal activities", including widespread violations of export regulations; Tax evasion, illegal logging, and encroachment on protected areas; And concealing money laundering operations through documents.

These systematic illegal activities have seriously eroded the sustainable benefits that Cameroon should have obtained from the development of timber resources, and the local people, especially the indigenous communities that rely on forest resources for their livelihoods, have directly suffered from multiple negative impacts such as livelihood loss, impact on traditional lifestyles, and environmental degradation caused by forest destruction.

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