Here’s one to think about. Always be careful and ask yourself that extra question “Is it okay for me to carry this?” when making trips abroad or going to and from Nepal. That could be currency, knives, foods like sukuti, gold AND plant seeds!
A report by Navin Singh Khadka for the BBC World Service revealed that illegally collected seeds of exotic Himalayan plants are being sold in the UK. Whilst different actors have different explanations, several mentioned that they were not aware that this would simply be deemed illegal. Unsurprisingly, authorities in Nepal were unaware of the seeds being picked and taken from Nepal to the UK. Speaking about the case of Plant World Seeds which was offering plant seeds from Nepal, Nepal’s forest department chief Resham Dangi told the BBC News “We checked with our district forest offices where these plants are found in the high-mountain areas. None of the district forest offices reported that those named people were there with any kind of permission… It’s not in the records”.
The methods of transportation of plant seeds from countries such as Nepal and India bring in different players from the country, making the process far from simple to investigate. With a large number of Nepalese diaspora in the UK, it would be worthwhile noting what is possible for them to do if they chose to bring plant seeds from Nepal; would they be allowed to bring it for personal use (personal garden) or would that also require permission from relevant authorities?
Hmm! Intriguing. On that note, you can read the full article here.
