Parbat. Chutro and Gurjo, which have been wasted in the forests without understanding their importance, have started to find a market. After the establishment of an industry to process Chutro and Gurjo to manufacture medicines, farmers have been struggling to collect Chutro and Gurjo, which have been wasted in the forests.
The Chinese company Chifu Biotechnology Pvt. Ltd., which has come into operation on the banks of Kaligandaki in Kushma Municipality-5, has started processing Chutro roots, stems and Gurjo. The company has been operating by renting 42.5 ropanis of land with an investment of 80 million rupees. This company employs three Chinese and 31 Nepalese.
The company has started paying Rs 25 per kg for chutro stems, Rs 40 per kg for roots, and Rs 20 per kg for gurjo to collectors who collect and sell chutro. After chutro and gurjo, which have been useless for centuries in farmlands and forests, are being sold, it is now difficult for farmers in villages to collect them. Tika Pun of Modi Rural Municipality-4, Kyang, informed that the number of people who go to the forest every day to collect chutro has increased dramatically since they can earn sufficient income with less effort and investment. The industry, which aims to collect 730 metric tons of chutro and gurjo annually, has stated that it has not been able to collect more than 20 tons in four months. This company, registered with the Department of Industry under the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, processes chutro and gurjo and makes them into powder and sends them to China.
Sher Bahadur Pun, a young man from Shalija, Ward No. 6 of Jaljala Rural Municipality in the district, informed that he had sold 1,500 kg of chutro and gurjo in two weeks and earned Rs 55,000. The amount was collected from the community forest above his house. Similarly, Jagannath Sharma of Phalebas Municipality-7, Limithana, said that the number of people going to the forest to search for chutro and gurjo has increased after the sale started. He said that although chutro can be collected easily, searching for gurjo takes time. Sharma said that attention should be paid to expanding its cultivation along with its use. Although medicinal plants chutro and gurjo are collected and sold, stakeholders have protested, saying that no attention has been paid to its long-term use and expansion of cultivation. After the citizens’ protest increased, a joint team of the Division Forest Office, District Administration Office and District Coordination Committee conducted an on-site monitoring of the industry.
Although the Forest Office had sent a letter to the company after the monitoring stating that it had not followed the necessary legal procedures and ordered it to immediately stop the collection work, locals have said that the company was continuing to process the waste without any hesitation. According to Division Forest Officer Jhyam Narayan Sapkota, it was seen that the foreign company was operating the project without conducting an initial environmental assessment. Although the Division Forest Office has sent a letter to show its concern on the matter, it is issuing a circular to allow the collection and transportation of herbs from forests in the Numbari settlements where individuals have registered. Sapkota informed that the office has granted permission to collect and transport gurjo and chutro as per Schedule 16 of the Gandaki Province Forest Regulations BS 2081.
Division Forest Officer Sapkota said that they cannot stop bringing them from private forests. According to the office, only 10,500 kg of gurjo and 3,000 kg of chutro have been collected from Parbat since this Poush. Hari Kumar Shrestha, manager of Chhifu Biotechnology Pvt. Ltd., informed that the preliminary environmental test report has not been approved but is in the final process. The forest office claimed that the farmers collected and brought large quantities of chutro and gurjo during the industry test.
Paiyun Rural Municipality had issued a notice on February 27 to stop the collection of chutro and gurjogano. Chief Administrative Officer Jeevan Gaire said that the rural municipality has now completely stopped the collection. The Division Forest Office has stated that chutro and gurjo, which are non-timber forest products, are found in almost all places in the hilly areas. The company has stated that it operates a processing industry focusing on Parbat, Myagdi, Baglung, Kaski, Lamjung, Arghakhanchi, Gulmi, Syangja and other districts.
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