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Sifelani Tsiko Agric, Environment & Innovations Editor

About 1043 bags of charcoal were confiscated recently from illegal dealers of the commodity in Muzarabani district, north of the country in a blitz spearheaded by the Forestry Commission and other key agencies.

Forestry Commission spokesperson Violet Makoto told the Herald on Tuesday that eight tickets were issued valued at USD$1 950 while only US$200 was yet to be paid by the offenders.

“In Muzarabani district alone we have so far seized 1043 bags of charcoal. In other parts of the country the blitz started on Sunday with a multi-task agency team operating in Midlands and Matabeleland North provinces,” she said.

“The amount of charcoal seized will increase as we widen our operation to cover the major hotspots in the country.”

The nationwide blitz is being spearheaded by the Forestry Commission with support from the Ministry of Environment, climate, Tourism and Hospitality, Environmental Management Agency, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks), the police, local authorities and the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement.

Peak winter energy demands and the rolling out of power cuts in most parts of the country is driving up the deforestation of large tracts of forests as wood and charcoal become the main source of heating and cooking for the majority of the poor.

Zimbabwe loses about 330 000 hectares of forests annually, according to the Forestry Commission.