विदेशी काठको आयात प्रतिस्थापन
KAPILVASTU, October 3.
Minister for Agriculture, Forestry, and Environment Geeta Chaudhary has stated that the government is formulating an action plan to substitute timber imports by boosting domestic timber production and utilization.
Speaking during an inspection of the Tilaurakot Collaborative Forest in Kapilvastu on Friday, Minister Chaudhary stated that the preparation of the action plan is in its final stages to end the situation where local timber rots in national forests while timber continues to be imported from abroad. She highlighted that sustainable forest management, alongside increasing domestic timber production and consumption, remains a top priority for the government.
She informed that the government’s policies and programs for the current fiscal year explicitly address replacing timber imports through enhanced domestic production and usage. “The preparation of an action plan for the systematic management and utilization of timber within Nepal’s forests has reached its final stage,” she said.
Minister Chaudhary noted that successful forest management practices across various parts of the country are currently being studied and monitored to support timber import substitution. Field inspections of community forests, collaborative forests, and Division Forest Offices are ongoing to establish necessary policy frameworks that simplify domestic timber production, management, sales, and consumption.
Emphasizing that timber imports persist despite Nepal having sufficient supply potential, she underscored the urgent need to expand systematic utilization and consumption of domestic timber.
The monitoring delegation included Lumbini Province Minister for Forest, Environment, and Tourism Tulsi Prasad Chaudhary, along with senior officials from federal and provincial ministries. The team conducted field visits to both Tilaurakot Collaborative Forest User Group and Mayadevi Collaborative Forest User Group.
On the occasion, Jai Prakash Pandey, Chairperson of the Tilaurakot Collaborative Forest User Group, shared that the forest generates an annual income of approximately NPR 50 million. He noted that alongside forest conservation, the group actively creates local employment, fulfills consumers’ timber requirements, and conducts income-generating activities. Chairperson Pandey added that Nepal can achieve self-reliance in timber and curb imports if the government prioritizes systematic domestic production and utilization.
During the visit, Senior Forest Officer Deepak KC from the Division Forest Office Kapilvastu, Tilaurakot Collaborative Forest Chairperson Pandey, Mayadevi Collaborative Forest Chairperson Dinesh Jaiswal, and Lumbini Province Forest Directorate Director Ishwari Prasad Poudel briefed the delegation on ongoing forest initiatives. They presented details on silviculture-based sustainable forest management practices, conservation efforts, and timber production in Kapilvastu, pointing out that existing policy hurdles force the country to import timber while usable domestic wood rots in local forests.
(RSS)
