Wallapatta export to be legalised

Wallapatta export to be legalised

The high value Wallapatta tree inner bark which has caused quite a stir with many foreigners and locals attempting to smuggle it out of the country in recent months will be permitted to be exported in the future through commercial cultivation.

The government objective is to cultivate it in commercial quantities. At present it is found only in reserve forests in limited quantities.

Accordingly, the authorities are planning to obtain Cabinet approval for legal export of this high demand for the inner bark in the manufacture of expensive perfumes.

On a proposal of Agriculture Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, the government hopes to launch a project to cultivate Wallapatta with assistance from the Agriculture Department.