Sal seed collection banned for 5 years

In view of the declining sal (whose botanical name is Shorea robusta) seed collection, the MP government has banned its collection for a period of five years.

Madhya Pradesh State Minor Forest Produce Co-operative Federation Ltd, a body under the ministry of forests, manages the collection of sal seeds through cooperative societies.

The seed contains 20 per cent oil and is used as edible oil in the confectionery industry, the soap industry, and chicken feed since the de-oiled cake contains 10-12 per cent protein.

The government, according to official sources, will lose Rs 10 lakh per year as commercial tax on sal seed auction.

"The government has decided to ban the seed collection since there has been a decline in collection, and losses in trade," a government spokesperson said, adding, "the ban will remain till 2011."

Sal is a member of dipterocarpaceae family and covers about 16.5 per cent of the total forest area of the state. The districts of Balaghat, Chindwara, Mandla, Jablapur, Sidhi, Rajnandgaon and Hoshangabad are the main sal seed covered areas and supplier districts.

The sal also support a number of industries since its timbers are used for making railway sleepers, gun-carriages, wooden beams, doors, planking etc.

"If the decline continues to 1,200 quintals than per quintal, loss is 5 human days against the available 60,000 human days available for sal seed collection. The government does not see any considerable employment loss due to ban," the source said.

During 1995, the seed collection touched a figure of 3,61,687 quintals. The collection reduced to 12,060.05 quintals of value Rs 4.60717 lakh and fetched an amount of Rs 7.45575 lakh, the collection dipped further to 6,27,265 quintals of Rs 22.01700 lakh and fetched Rs 23.32780 lakh in the market.

But during the year 2005 the collection had gone down to 3,833.50 quintals of Rs 13.45558 lakh to yield only Rs 4.25518 lakh.

The collection rate has gone up from Rs 160 per quintal (1995) to Rs 450 per quintal (2005). The wage payment against collection has also dipped from Rs 6 crore to Rs 12 lakh during 2005. Thus the government agency (MP Minor Forest Coop Ltd) reported a loss in the trade of sal seed for unknown reason.

During the year 1997-1999 sal borer (an insect) also affected the trees and government had banned the seed collection temporarily during the period.