Ban on tiger products: China team here to talk
Ravleen Kaur
Indian Express, Wednesday, May 16, 2007
NEW DELHI, MAY 15
In order to facilitate its traditional medicine industry, a Chinese
delegation of State Forestry Administration (SFA) officials is in New
Delhi to discuss, among other things, to lift the ban on trade in tiger
products. The eight-member delegation, led by Li Yucai,
Vice-Administrator of SFA, has also invited the Indian delegation to
China for further discussions in July.
India has raised concerns on the issue but did not completely rule out
the idea of tiger farms. “The Chinese delegation is contemplating
on that but haven’t given anything to us in writing. We have made
our concerns clear that captive farming has never really helped. They
have to convince the international lobby, including Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species, before we agree,” said
Ministry official.
The issue was first raised last November when a Chinese delegation
discussed the modalities of segregating “farm and wild
products” with the Ministry of Environment of Forests.
The Indian team, led by DG MoEF GK Prasad, raised two main concerns.
“One was security protocol. How will it be ensured that wild
tigers are not being traded in the garb of captive breeding? Second,
how will they convince their people that farm-bred tigers have the same
medicinal properties as wild tigers,” said the official
Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/story/31050.html
|