Five plantations owned by Border Timbers, Zimbabwe’s largest timber producer, are being targeted by the Zimbabwean government despite being protected by international accords.

Border Timbers is German-linked and there had previously been assurances from Zimbabwe that its land would not be seized. However, it now looks likely that more than 34 million ha of land will be taken.

The company’s sawmills process more than 350,000m3 of logs each year and it also runs a veneer factory.