THRISSUR,
The Hindu, March 8, 2015
The Department of Wood Science of Kerala Agricultural
University (KAU) has taken the initiative for securing forest
certification and registration of Geographical Indication for Marayoor
sandal.
Forest certification is a mechanism for
monitoring, tracing, and labelling timber, wood, and pulp products and
non-timber forest products whereby the quality of management from
environmental, social, and economic perspectives is judged against a
series of agreed standards.
Geographical Indications
(GIs) identify products as agricultural goods, natural goods, or
manufactured goods as originating or manufactured in the territory of a
country or a region or locality in that territory where a given quality,
reputation, or other characteristics of such goods is essentially
attributable to itsgeographical origin.
“The Marayoor
sandal division in Idukki district is the only compact tract of sandal
forests in the country or, perhaps, the whole world having mature
trees,” says E.V. Anoop, Head of the Department of WoodScience.
To
combat illicit felling and smuggling of sandal wood trees, the
government decided to upgrade the Marayoor range of the Munnar division
into a new division named Marayoor sandal division in 2005(G.O. (MS) No:
67/2005/Forest dated 08/06/2005).About 150 daily-wage guards are
engaged in protection of sandal 24x7. Most of them are members of the
Vana Samrakshana Samithies that provide employment to tribal groups,
mainly the Muthuvans and the HillPulayas.The Marayoor government
sandalwood depot is the only one of its kind in the State, where dead,
wind-fallen, and stolen trees are auctioned.The latest auction
(e-lelam), held on February 5 and 6, earned the Forest Department a
record revenue of Rs.46 crore.“The sandal from Marayoor is far superior
in quality to that from Karnataka and Sathyamangala forests,” added Dr.
Anoop.Wayanad Jeerakasala rice, Wayanad Gandhakasala rice, Central
Travancore jaggery, Pokkali rice, and Vazhakkulam pineapple have been
registered with the GI registry at KAU’s initiative.
0 comments:
Post a Comment