Western Ghats Kokum Foundation - Organic Farming Association of ...

Table 3: The Legal Classification of Forest Lands and Area in Uttara
Sr. No. Categories of Forests Area in Hectares
1 Reserve forests
la Proper forests 6,20,218
1b Minor forests 1,52,085
2 Protected forests
2a Hakkals 3,173
2b Betta lands 51,121
2c Village forests 2,617
Total 8,29,214
Source: Office of Conservator of Forests, Kanara Circle, Sirsi.
There is an extremely rich diversity of plant species, which the people consume or
trade formally or informally in the district. People regularly harvest about 46 species of
fruits, leaves, flowers. 3 species of bees providing honey and wax, 8 species of bamboos and
canes.
Kokum or murgalu as known in Kannada is one of the important tree species widely
distributed in the forests of the district from which people harvest fruits and seeds. The
trees of Kokum are seen growing in all categories of forests and in private lands in the
talukas of Bhatkal, Honnavar, Kumta, Ankola, Karwar, Joida, Siddapur, Sirsi, and Yellapur.
People protect and promote regeneration of murgalu in privilege and private forests and in
some villages people even grow them. People collect fruits and seeds of murgalu for
domestic consumption and also many households market a substantial quantity of their
collection. People use its rind as food as a souring agent, its syrup as a drink, and use seeds
for oil and medicine. In forest divisions of Honnavar and Karwar, murgalu where it is more
concentrated is tendered for auction by the Forest Department in the name of amsol or
bhirand (Table 4).
Table 4: Quantities of Murgalu (Amsol and Bhiranda) Extracted by MFP Contractors
in Uttara Kannada
Year Forest Divisions of Uttara Kannada (Kanara Forest circle)
Honnavar Karwar Yellapur Sirsi Haliyal
1999-00 0.750 t. 2.350 t. - - -
2000-01 2.12 t. 1.2 t. - - -
2001-02 5.830 t. 1.5 t. 0.035 t. - -
2002-03 1.6 t. - - -
Source: Office of Conservator of Forests, Kanara Circle, Sirsi.
It is difficult to assess the actual production of fruits and seeds of murgalu in the
district. Forest Department measures the annual production of murgalu by quantities
declared by the contractors or their agents in order to obtain transit passes and this does
not equate at all with actual volume extracted. There is no sufficient information to assess
the quantity of fruits of murgalu, available for harvest from forests, quantity extracted, used
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Resource Book on Kokum (Garcinia indica Choisy)
Western Ghats Kokum Foundation, Panaji - Goa