Morang consumers now have access to forest resources

By our Correspondent,Urlabari, June 3:Citizens of Morang bordering India have, of late, started participating in the proportional consumption of forest. 

After the government introduced the concept of the Partnership Forest consumer group, the consumers of the southern part of Morang district have now access to forest products. Earlier, they had no access to the forest and forest products. 

In the past, 50 per cent of the wood produced in partnership forests had to be distributed to local consumers and 50 per cent to the state. However, with the introduction of the Forest Regulations 2023 by the Ministry of Tourism, Forest and Environment of the Koshi Provincial Government, 70 per cent of the produce of the partnership forest goes to the consumers. 

Section 52 (1) of the Regulation stipulates that 70 per cent of the products will be used by the consumers and 30 per cent will be auctioned by government agencies.  After the introduction of the new regulations, the reach of consumers to forest products has been ensured. 

There are four partnership forests in Koshi Province, and all of them are in Morang district.  

According to Indra Mani Bhandari, Chief of the Forest Directorate,  the government got 8,977.40 cubic feet of timber in the fiscal year 2020/21, 19, 546 cubic feet in 2021/22 and 4,912 cubic feet of timber in 2022/23 from the partnership forest. 

This was only 50 per cent of the product of the partnership forest while the remaining 50 per cent was used by the consumers, said Dinesh Prasad Giri, Chairman of Belbari Chisang Partnership Forest Group. 

For the last three years, the Partnership Forest has not conducted any scientific forestry programme.  There were some legal problems in this matter.  Chairman Giri said that since the problem has been solved this year, cutting has been approved and timber has also arrived in the right place. 

In the current year, Belbari Chisang Partnership Forest got permission to extract 6,183 cubic feet of wood. Half of its wood will now be used by consumers. 

Sikendra Mandal of Dhanpalthan Rural Municipality Ward No. 1, Nocha,   said, "I only saw the forest. I was not able to consume it. After the introduction of the Partnership Forest concept, I have become one of the consumers. Now I can get timber at the lowest price to build windows and doors of my house.” 

Meena Wahardar of a village bordering India in Rangeli -7, said, "We had no access to the forest. We can use only the wood which used to be swept away by the rivers to our field. After the Partnership Forest was implemented, we can consume firewood."

There are 135 community forests in Morang, all of which are in northern Morang. There are 15 community forests south of the East-West Highway. However, consumers from the southern area have no access to those community forests. 

A big portion of the population lives in the south of the Biratnagar-Rangeli-Aamwari road section of Morang, but they are unable to reach the forest. The concept of the Participatory Forest was brought to connect the consumers from the south, said, Allauddin Ansari, Assistant Forest Officer of Sub-Division Forest Office, Kanepokhari.