Gandaki, 9 February: The Gandaki Provincial Government has collected Rs 1.135 billion (12,388 crore) in revenue in the last seven years from the sale of forest produce and herbs.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Forests and Environment, approximately 65,000 cubic feet of timber and 12,143 cubic meters of firewood have been produced from national and private forests during this period. The ministry has stated that 82,629 kg of herbs have been collected.
The Ministry’s Information Officer Rajesh Poudel informed that more than 2.5 million labor-days of employment have been created through the collection of forest produce and other activities. He said that the community forest user groups earn crores of rupees annually from the production and collection of forest produce and herbs.
The ministry has been collecting revenue from fines, timber, firewood, herbs, contract sales, etc. He said that if the commercial production of herbs and industries based on forest products can be expanded, the income of consumers will increase further.
Due to the lack of proper management and utilization of forest products, resources are being wasted. Prem Lamichhane, central member of the Community Forest Users Federation, opined that the state should emphasize on expanding the cultivation of fruit trees and herbs in vacant land in forest areas. “A proper policy and action plan should be brought for the protection, management and proper utilization of forest products,” he said. “This will also strengthen the forest group, and on the other hand, revenue from forest products will also increase.”
The income generated by the community forest group has been spent on community development. The income from the forest has been invested in the poor community, forest development and community development. The provincial government has also been spending budget annually for the herbal development program. The ministry has stated that work has been done to conserve and utilize forest produce, including arrangements for collecting firewood, determining the distance between forest-based industries and forest areas.
The ministry has stated that since the establishment of the provincial government, 8.72 million 142 saplings have been produced and distributed free of cost for tree plantation in the public and private sectors. 228 green gardens have been established at various local levels and eco-tourism programs have been run in 67 community forests. The ministry has stated that 76 squares with Bar, Peepal and Sami trees have been constructed, maintained and beautified across the province. The ministry has also been investing in the establishment of forest-based enterprises including furniture and herbal processing centers.
It is reported that 10.3 hectares of forest encroachment has been controlled so far. 4,250 wild animals have been rescued. Rs 96 million in relief has been distributed to farmers who have suffered crop damage due to wild animals.
The ministry has been working in the areas of watershed and wetland management, national forest development and management, lake conservation, forest research, environmental protection, etc. Conservation and infrastructure construction plans have been implemented in 45 lakes, including nine lakes in the Pokhara basin listed in Ramsar.
