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Translation typesText translationSource text1898 / 5000Translation resultsAt the start of 2018, the Africa branch of the Rougier Group announced that it had filed for bankruptcy. This is a shock to the tropical forestry profession and observers of the timber industry in Africa. A family business listed on the stock exchange, the Rougier company, founded in 1923 in Niort, is one of the oldest and largest timber companies in Africa. Its first okoumé operations having started in the 1950s in Gabon, it is also present in Cameroon, Congo and, since 2015, in the Central African Republic (CAR). The total area held under concession by the Rougier group amounts to more than 2.3 million hectares and it employs 3,000 people, mainly in Africa. It is expected to completely or partially withdraw from its operating activities, except in Gabon. The reasons given by the Group's management for this bankruptcy filing relate to known problems which are common to the entire export sector. In addition to the congestion of the port of Douala, where the wood products of most companies in Cameroon (but also in Congo and CAR) leave after a long transport by train or truck, there are also increasing delays in reimbursement. of VAT to exporters by Central African States. These problems also affect other forestry companies, mostly European, which have had to divest part of their assets in recent months. The Dutch-owned Wijma Cameroon Group had to sell in 2017 to a competitor (Vicwood SA, headquartered in Hong-Kong) four of its five forest concessions in Cameroon. The Italian company Cora Wood SA, a reputable plywood manufacturer based in Gabon, had to cede one of its concessions to a Chinese company to pay off its debts. There are rumors about possible upcoming divestitures of other European companies, in Gabon or in Congo. More about this source textSource text required for additional translation informationSend feedbackSide panels