中文 (中国)
Tiếng ViệtThe Ta Veang district authorities in Ratanakkiri province, Campuchia have banned the harvesting or export of malva nuts, as this year’s bounty is not sufficiently ripe.
The malva nut, from the scaphium affine tree, is a popular non-timber forest product and can be sold for high prices.
The authorities have warned that the yield of nuts differs from year to year, with this year’s harvest expected to come later than the previous one.
District governor So Vanthin explained that most years, many people – both from within the district and from farther afield – go into the Virachey National Park community forest to pick malva nuts so they can sell them to brokers.
He added that the malva nut tree is a rare plant and its fruit is among the most expensive on the market. The fruit is a popular ingredient in many types of Chinese traditional medicine and is also used to make desserts.
“Some people harvest the nuts or seeds by cutting down the tree and burning the stump. They are not thinking long-term, because this means there are fewer trees left with every passing year. At the same time, some brokers are prepared to buy nuts that are not yet ripe, which also motivates people to go into the forest and destroy the trees,” he said.
He explained that in order to ensure malva nuts remain sustainable, the district administration has banned their collection before they are ripe, as well as the destruction of saplings. In addition, the use of axes, chainsaws and other forestry tools is prohibited within the Virachey National Park and all community forests.
The district administration has also strictly prohibited any brokers from trading in unripe malva nuts.
Chetr Chanraingsey, an official with the district administration office, said that in addition to issuing the instruction, the administration has deployed units from the police and the armed forces to protect the forests and detain anyone found harvesting the nuts.
“At this time, the new nuts are still young. If people collect them now, they will endanger our natural resources. We expect them to ripen by the end of the month, and will announce when the ban is lifted,” he added.
According to Chanraingsey, only two districts in Ratanakkiri are rich in malva nut trees: Veun Sai and Ta Veng, both within the Virachey National Park.
Source: phnompenhpost
