Factory raided for illegally exporting endemic plants

A factory at Gannoruwa in Ruwanwella alleged to be illegally exporting the endemic medicinal plant identified as Wallapatta (Wrightia Zelanica) for the manufacture of costly cosmetics came under raid by the wildlife conservation officers and the police on a search warrant. During the raid the officials seized three lorry loads of Wattapatta plants, a large stock of plants in pieces packed in 40 large polythene bags, a machine used to grind the plants into powder, and a boiler. The factory had been under lock and key compelling the officials to break open the doors.

A senior forest official said the Wallapatta plants collected from the forest reserves were ground and processed in the form of pulp at the factory for export. Inquiries reveled that a businessman from Kolonne, was the owner of the factory and he was said to be missing from the area for about a week. Wallapatta is one of the plants prohibited from export or marketing. He said the price of a kilo of powdered Wallapatta plant was about

A senior forest official said the Wallapatta plants collected from the forest reserves were ground and processed in the form of pulp at the factory for export

$2000. The official said Wallapatta plant was found in abundance in the wet zone forests and in the home gardens in Ratnapura and Kegalle districts. He also said that racketeers from India, Bangladesh and several middle east countries on tourist VISAs were running Wallapatta collecting centres in the Nuwara Eliya, Kegalle and Ratnapura districts and there was an increasing demand in the middle-east countries for this plant.