SUNSARI, Jan 12: Timber stored at the Sub-Division Forest Office Panchkanya and Bishnupadu in Tinkune, Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City-8, Sunsari, has started rotting.
Mahesh Kumar Sah, Chief of the Sub-Division Forest Office Panchkanya, informed that 15,000 cubic feet of timber stored at the forest office due to failure to sign contracts with prospective buyers for a long time has rotted and become useless. Timber has been languishing here for two decades. Especially the timber in question has been lying around for years.
"Timber worth Rs 70 million has been lying around and rotting at the forest office due to failure to sign contracts,” Chief Sah said. Currently, 'A grade' timber is being sold for Rs 1,200 per cubic foot, 'B grade' for Rs 900, and 'C grade' for Rs 650 per cubic foot.
Insufficient supply of timber leading to outflow of millions of...
Dik Bahadur Bhujel, President of the Nepal Forest Products Industry Entrepreneurs Association, said that timber is being wasted due to cumbersome policies and regulations. He says that although Nepali timber production is abundant, the timber is wasted away due to various problems caused by government policies and employees.
According to the District Forest Office, 64,500 cubic feet of timber were stored here in the fiscal year 2080/81. So far in the current fiscal year 2081/82, 25,400 cubic feet of timber have been added. A month ago, the Forest Office sold 16,900 cubic feet of timber through a bidding process, and currently 72,900 cubic feet of timber have been deposited in the Forest Office, according to the authorities.
Division Forest Officer of the District Forest Office, Khudris Miya, said due to court proceedings and some complicated legal procedures, it has not been possible to auction the timber at the desired time. He said, 'The contract has been canceled five times. Even after the contract was signed two or three times, the contractor did not pick up the timber even after leaving the deposit.”
In Nepal, three times more timber can be produced annually than is required. However, timber traders say that the required timber supply has not been achieved domestically due to government regulations and employee misconduct.
Nepali traders allege that timber is being imported from abroad, creating an artificial shortage in the market by rotting their own timber in the forest. Traders suggest that the proper utilization and use of timber produced domestically should be increased to stop the import of foreign timber.
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