(Ecofin Agency) - The Central African government has just awarded tropical wood trader Rougier SA a logging development and settlement concession of 270,000 hectares of forest. This concession, located in the Sangha-Mbaéré prefecture, was won by the French group following an international tendering process.

Rougier, who has the rights to operate on this area for 25 years through its Rougier Sangha Mbaéré subsidiary created specifically for this purpose, will incorporate this concession in a regional project which is carried on its other logging operations in Congo and Cameroon.

According to the company, the awarding of this contract marks the acknowledgment by the Central African government of its efforts in terms of sustainable logging business. “The technical proposal made by Rougier Sangha Mbaéré, particularly on responsible management of woodlands and local development, was one of the key features noted by the government of the Central African Republic” indicated the company in a press note.

With more than 2 million hectares of logging operations in Cameroon, Gabon and Congo, Rougier is considered as one of the global giants in the trade of tropical African woods.