Border Timbers Limited, the forestry and sawmilling company, has been in the business of growing, milling and manufacturing timber from managed plantations in Zimbabwe since 1924. Border Timbers Limited has a long history in Manicaland, and is a subsidiary of the Rift Valley Corporation and is listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange.
The company was incorporated in 1979 through an amalgamation of three companies, Border Eastern Forest Estates, Renfee Timbers (Pvt) Limited and Forestry Management Services. Forestry Management Services had taken over plantations that were first established in the Imbeza area by the British South African Police Company (BSAP Co) in 1924. The BSAP Company increased plantings substantially in 1946 after the Second World War to include the Chimanimani area.
Since 1979, Border Timbers Limited has grown the plantation size to the current 47 886 hectares. The company has undergone significant re-engineering since 2013 and has narrowed its focus to its core strength areas of forestry, sawmilling and treated pole production. The forestry division manages a total of five estates. Three of these, Charter, Tilbury and Sawerombe are in Chimanimani area to the south of Mutare, while Imbeza and Sheba estates are to the north in the Penhalonga area.
Saw logs are processed at Border’s two sawmills, Charter and Sheba. The first sawmill was established at Charter in 1953 and today it is one of the largest and most modern sawmills in Southern Africa. The sawmilling division has capacity to process 300 000 cubic metres of saw logs annually. Border’s sawmills both utilize a kiln drying process which results in a high quality dimensional lumber product that is resistant to warping. The Nyakamete Pole Treatment plant in Mutare produces a variety of specifications of high quality treated poles which are sold into both local and export markets
In all of its operations Border Timbers is guided by an Environmental Management Policy to minimize the impact on soil, water and air resources. The company manages its plantations to the highest forestry standard practices. Border is committed to providing a safe working environment for all its employees. All safety incidents are investigated to determine the root causes, and corrective actions are put in place to reduce or eliminate the likelihood of a similar incident occurring.
Border Timbers employees in excess of 1400 workers on a full time basis. An additional 500 employee’s work for the company on a seasonal basis, and hundreds of indirect jobs are supported by the operation. Most of the employees are from neighbouring communities. The company takes a keen interest in the health and safety of its workforce and all employees and their families have access to medical clinics that are operated by the company. A working environment where every individual has an opportunity to achieve their potential prevails at all operations.
At all rural operations Border operates schools that provide an education for employees’ children as well as those of neighbouring communities.
Zimbabwe Eastern Highlands’s excellent soils and climate result in highly favourable growing conditions for forestry plantations.
Border Timbers employs internationally recognized forest practices resulting in some of the highest quality sustainably managed plantations in Africa. Border Timbers owns and operates two medium sized sawmills, Sheba and Charter. The sawmills are designed to cut both pine and eucalyptus saw logs.
Both mills are located within the company’s sustainably managed plantations. Larger diameter Pine timber is milled using frame saw machines whilst the smaller diameter material is milled on either double log edger circular saws or on state of the art chipper canter technology. Eucalyptus saw logs are sawn using either Lucas, Bandsaw or Frame saw machines depending on the log diameters. All the timber produced at the sawmills is kiln dried to a moisture content ranging from 8-15% depending on the end-users requirements.
Drying schedules are drawn for each species. Eucalyptus is first air stacked for three months before being kiln dried to improve timber stability and to reduce drying defects.
Kiln drying results in a far superior product compared to the “wet off saw” material often found on the market. All the timber is pressed, bundled and packaged to the highest standard before dispatch.
Border Timers Limited parent company, Rift Valley Corporation, has a long history of operating in Sub-Saharan Africa. Some of the Group’s individual businesses have been in operation since the early 20th century. In its present shape, RVC was formally established in 2012 when the Höegh and von Pezold families merged their families’ agricultural interests in Sub-Saharan Africa with a view to capitalizing on the increased scale and financial prowess of an integrated group.
The Höegh family first became involved with one of the Group companies approximately 15 years ago when one of the family’s investment vehicles acquired a stake in African Plantations Corporation, which at that time farmed and exported tea and coffee. Over the next 15 years the business went through several periods of expansion, investment and reorientation, as a result of which the family have become the Group’s controlling shareholder.
Rift Valley divides its operations into five business platforms with strategic importance not only for the Group but also for the communities in which we work. Our platforms span a number of agriculture and energy-related industries – industries that enjoy both local and global demand.
Not only does Africa benefit from soils and climates highly suitable to cultivation but, as a developing continent, Africa also has a strong agrarian culture. To this favourable environment, Rift Valley brings finance, technical expertise and other essential inputs, thereby contributing to the realisation of the full natural potential of the region in which we operate. In addition to agriculture, Rift Valley develops energy projects. It is estimated that some 600 million Africans lack access to regular electricity and under these conditions of chronic supply deficit, there are large opportunities for developers of renewable energy resources.
Source: Border Timbers
