IMPHAL, October 23: Several varieties of plants with medicinal values found in the interior part of Ukhrul district at Tusom village and its neighbouring areas, neighbouring Somra village in Myanmar are being illegally exported into Myanmar, lamented locals.
Locals decried that the apathy of the concern government authorities have led to the illegal export of medicinal and indigenous plants including Ginseng, Kukhee Gum, and five different Orchids.
The concerned Customs and Horticulture departments have failed to check the illegal trading, they lamented.
Tusom village in Chingai sub-division of Ukhrul district had been in the news in recent times because of the sinking of a hill slope recently which had led to speculations of volcanic eruptions in the area.
Villagers, on being asked by this IFP reporter on the alleged illegal export, said demands for these plants are enormous in the neighbouring country.
They said, villagers from the neighbouring country arrive in the village and collect the medicinal plants by paying huge amount of money every year.
According to the locals, a kilo of dry Ginseng is sold at the rate of Rs 2500, Kukhee Gum at the rate of Rs 600/kg and the five different species of Orchid with medicinal value are sold at the range of Rs 500 to 2000 per kg.
Meanwhile, when the route which is from Tusom to Myanmar through Somra in Myanmar, as indicated by the villagers, was checked, it was found that there was not even a single check post along the route, which could be a safe haven for all kinds of illegal exporters of forest product from the state into Myanmar.
There is an urgent need for the state authorities to check the illegal export of such medicinal plants from the state and the unmanned route along the porous Indo-Myanmar border in the area at the earliest, lest, the route attracts more devilish and dangerous kind of trafficking.