The communiqué said recently SMB has received many queries from members of the public about timber. Why can SMB not put the timber up on sale while it is being cleared from the port? When timber can be seen visible at store 9 why cannot it be sold? Why can timber sales not be pre-booked like cement?

The press communiqué said that timber is a specialized product and comes in different lengths and widths.

"This makes comprehensive pre-sale inspection a necessity where the consignment is cross checked against orders and its sale organized when the products are sorted out by size for sale. Cement comes in 50kg bags and it is easier to be pre-booked. However there are 9 different sizes and 7 different lengths of timber," it explained.

SMB, it said, had ordered a large consignment of timber to satisfy demand but unfortunately the timber mill abroad cannot supply the timber due to high domestic demand.

The company said that alternative sources of supply had also been examined "but they do not come up to stringent quality standards required for a tropical climate like Seychelles."

"Prices from other sources are also substantially higher making it difficult for SMB to fulfill its promise of supplying high quality products at affordable prices."
Another growing problem is the shortage of long length timber which is in high demand in the Seychelles.

The section manager of Building materials section, Eddy Bonnelame, said that because of the size of our roofing in the Seychelles, long length timber is popular, but it is getting increasingly difficult to import.

Mr Bonnelame added that "before we used to have buffer stocks in the size 9 by 2 which we could cut into smaller widths during the times of shortage but nowadays getting this size due to increased demand is virtually impossible."

On the perception that SMB is the only importer which has the responsibility of bringing in timber, Mr Bonnelame pointed out that "timber has never been a monopoly and we are not the only importers in this business. Anyone can import timber they require, this includes building contractors and individuals."

"SMB has to go through the banking system like everyone else. While other importers sell in bulk, we have restricted sale to individual customers," he added.

With regard to timber prices, Mr Bonnelame said that “despite increasing prices in the world market, SMB has cushioned the increase and sold the timber at the same price as the last consignment.”