Baripada: Thousands of tribals residing in villages on the fringes of Similipal sanctuary are forced into distress sale of minor forest produce (MFP) due to lack of marketing facilities.
This has put their livelihood at stake as the tribals are solely dependent on MFP, including a variety of wild fruits, for income.
According to reports, about 70 per cent of the area in Mayurbhanj district is hilly and forested. A variety of fruits, roots and other MFP are available from forests throughout the year. Fruits available from biodiversity-rich Similipal and nearby forests are tasty and juicy while herbs, plants and roots have good medicinal value.
Tribals collect a variety of fruits like amla (gooseberry), jamun (blackberry), chakoli, kususm, mahul, tentuli (tamarind), kara, panasa, (jackfruit), bael, harida, bahada, salamai, ata, ous, date palm, kendu and guava and sell them in nearby markets. However, they fail to get the right price in the absence of marking facility though the fruits have good demand in town and cities.
Social activists noted the forest department should procure the MFP from tribals so that the latter can get good price for their produce.
“We do not get a price that is commensurate with the labour invested in collecting fruits,” tribals said.
For instance, in urban areas, drumstick is sold for at least `40 a kg while it is sold for `10 in tribals pockets, they added.
Tribals have to sell jackfruit, bael and other fruits at throwaway prices. In summers, quintals of mangoes go waste in forests while the fruit commands good price in urban markets.
Demand for mango, gooseberry, tamarind and karmanga is high in pickle manufacturing sector. But, tribals lack storage and food processing facility as a result of which they fail to cash in on the demand.
Locals said, “Neem fruits, flowers, karanja and kusuma seeds, harida, bahada, honey, resin and palua are available aplenty in forests, but there are no takers for them here. The government should formulate a special policy for minor forest produce and pay heed to create marketing facility for them.”
The government can also enhance its revenue by making provision of collection and procurement of MFP from tribals. Processing units should be put in place to process these fruits, they said.
Earlier, the forest department used to collect MFP like mahula and tamarind, but later its collection was entrusted with panchayats. Adequate funding provision was not made for procurement, as a result of which collection of MFP went awry, it was learnt. PNN
