SIRHA: Villagers in Lalpur, Jamadah, Muksar and Bishnuparkatti in northern Siraha are these days busy collecting the bel fruit (aegle marmelos) from forests.

The farmers collect the fruit from the forest of chure hills from mid-November to mid-April every year. The fruit that used to be ignored in the forests eawrlier have now become a good source of income for the villagers after Sabala Herbal Yarometics Enterprises started purchasing them since 2001. Since then, the business has fast picked up pace.

After collecting the bels, the villagers peel them off and leave them to dry for about 15 days and make dried-chips from them. These chips are then sold to Sabala Herbal for Rs 55 a kg.

According to Gautam Rai, a local, a family can earn Rs 25,000 to Rs one lakh by selling these in four months. According to Sahendra Yadav, local representative of Sabala Herbal, high quality juice, wine and medicines for treating diseases like gastritis and constipation are prepared from the bel chips. He added that these chips are exported via Birgunj and India to Switzerland.

Not only the villagers, but the District Forest Office also get some cash from the business. It collects Rs 2 for every one kg of chips exported from the forests of chure hills. Yadav said that the world’s best quality bels are found in this region.

Poor farmers as well as the government have a good source of income here in the region, provided the bel forests in the region are protected and their yield improved. However, the locals have not been able to get the maximum from these bel trees due to lack of proper identification and conservation of herbs in this region.

Locals will benefit if a small part of the huge chunk of budget spent each year on forest guards and police is used for protecting these forests and promoting their commercial use.