Internship Report - IRMA - NTFPs

STUDY ON NTFPs, ITS FORWARD & BACKWARD LINKAGES AND
SPACES FOR INTERVENTION IN THE VILLAGES OF KANHA

NATIONAL PARK, M.P.
Submitted By:
Anshuman Gupta (p30004)
Utsav Mishra (p30053)
Management Traineeship Segment

PRM 2009-11
Submitted To:
FOUNDATION FOR ECOLOGICAL SECURITY
Mandla, Madhya Pradesh
Faculty Guide: Prof. CMA Paresh J. Bhatt
December, 2010
INSTITUTE OF RURAL MANAGEMENT, ANAND

AKNOWLEDGEMENT
This report is a result of our Management Traineeship Segment (MTS) done in the Mandla
district over a period of 8 weeks during which we were very fortunate to interact with a wide
variety of people right from the collectors of NTFPs in villages to practitioners who have a
huge experience in this field. The insights provided by them have been instrumental in making
this project a success. However, we would first like to thank our MTS Coordinator Prof. S.R.
Asokan for giving us the opportunity to take up this project in Foundation for Ecological
Security (FES), Mandla Madhya Pradesh. The support and guidance given to us by the entire
team at FES, Mandla especially our reporting officer, Mr. Ishan Agrawal helped us tide over
difficulties and made our stay in Mandla an extremely pleasurable experience. The timely
inputs given by them helped us stay on track and finish the project in time.
We would also like to thank our Faculty Guide, Prof. CMA Paresh J. Bhatt, who guided us with
his invaluable insights about NTFPs right from the beginning of the project.
The project would not have been as successful had it not been for the informative discussions
with various practitioners and fieldworkers that we had in the various field visits done during
the course of the project. Our interactions with numerous forest department officials, villagers
and traders also helped us understand the minute nuances associated with the NTFP trade and
the report would be incomplete without acknowledging their contribution to it.
Anshuman Gupta (p30004)
Utsav Mishra (p30053)
i
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Title: Study of NTFP, its forward and backward linkages and spaces for intervention in the
villages of Kanha National Park, Mandla, M.P.
Organization: Foundation for Ecological Security (FES)
Reporting Officer: Mr. Ishan Agrawal
Faculty Guide: Prof. CMA Paresh J. Bhatt
Students’ Name: Anshuman Gupta (30004), Utsav Mishra (30053)
Objectives: (1) To understand the forward and backward linkages of major NTFPs found in the
project area and identify spaces for intervention for better price realization to the community
(people involved).
(2) To understand the demand and supply patterns of fuel wood, its sources and fluctuations in
prices during different seasons in two clusters of Mandla.
Scope of the Study: The study was conducted in three different project clusters of Mandla
district i.e. Mocha, Bicchiya and Niwas.
Methodology: For NTFP, the study was done through informal interviews with collectors and
traders in Mandis. Various institutions already working in this area were also visited and a lot
of secondary research was done to explore possibilities for intervention.
For fuel wood study, the fuel wood approach roads were tracked and informal discussions with
villagers (sellers) and restaurant, dhaba and tea stall owners (buyers) were conducted.
Findings: It was found that the distribution of NTFPs is quite varied across the three clusters.
Though Chakoda is quite abundant in the entire region, Mahua is mostly found in Niwas and
Mocha and Gond trees (Salai and Dhaawa) are only found in Mocha. Formation of SHGs as
microenterprises for the collection, pooling and storage of Mahua is proposed. Proper training
and financial assistance would reduce distress sales of Mahua and help members earn better
returns. Potential for Lac cultivation on Palash trees exists in Niwas and Bichchiya. A group of
farmers owning around 100 Palash trees can be targeted and on – field training provided to
them for Lac cultivation. Palash trees can also be taken on lease from the JFM committees or
the Forest Department. Chironji collection has reduced drastically over the years and is now
done only in the Niwas area. Wild Honey was collected in Bichchiya and Mocha till some
years ago but is now found in very small quantities. The tribals (Baighas and Gonds) still
follow the traditional systems for collecting, weighing, processing and storing NTFPs and over
the years, there has been a steady decline in quantities collected due to unsustainable harvesting
practices and lack of awareness. The low quantities and/ or complex technology have restricted
the possibility of intervention in almost all NTFPs to the pooling or grading and sorting stage.
In fuel wood study, it was found that large quantities of fuel wood and charcoal are consumed
in dhabas, tea stalls, households, schools etc. for cooking and heating purposes especially in
Bichchiya. In Mocha, fuel wood is used in smaller quantities by resorts for heating purposes
and by a few dhabas for cooking. The prices and consumption of fuel wood varies according to
the seasons. The consumption increases in festive season (Oct-Nov and Mar-Apr) and the
prices go up during winters and rainy season when farmers remain busy with agricultural
activities and dry wood is hard to find in the forests especially during the rainy season.
Conclusion: Each NTFP has its own unique set of collection and processing issues that need to
be addressed for an intervention in NTFPs to be successful. NTFPs play a critical role in the
lives of tribals as it provides them with an important source of income in the dry months when
they don’t have any other source. Small scale interventions like establishing microenterprises
are likely to be more successful. Regeneration programmes need to go hand – in – hand with
the product intervention in order to improve the quantity of NTFPs collected and to make
technological interventions feasible on a larger scale.
ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgement.....................................................................................................................i
Executive Summary..................................................................................................................ii
List of Tables...........................................................................................................................vi
List of Figures.........................................................................................................................vii
1. Introduction.........................................................................................................................1
1.1.Role of Forests in Rural Lives......................................................................................1
1.2.Non Timber Forest Produce (NTFP)............................................................................2
1.3.Government Regulations regarding Forest Produce....................................................2
1.4.Importance of Timber as fuel wood.............................................................................3
2. The Study............................................................................................................................5
2.1.Objectives.....................................................................................................................5
2.2.Scope............................................................................................................................5
2.3.Methodology................................................................................................................5
2.4.Limitations...................................................................................................................6
3. The NTFP Trade Chain.......................................................................................................7
4. Designing an Intervention in NTFPs.................................................................................10
5. Mahua (Madhuca longifolia)..............................................................................................11
5.1.The Tree and Produce.................................................................................................11
5.2.Collection and Processing...........................................................................................13
5.3.Production and Prices.................................................................................................13
5.4.Scope for Intervention................................................................................................14
5.5.Institutions Involved and Best Practices....................................................................15
6. Chironji (Buchanania lanzan)............................................................................................17
iii
7. Chakoda (Cassia tora).......................................................................................................20
8. Lac......................................................................................................................................23
8.1.The Trees and Produce...............................................................................................23
TABLE OF CONTENTS (Contd.)
9. Gond (Gums).....................................................................................................................27
9.1.The Trees and Produce...............................................................................................27
10. Shahad (Honey).................................................................................................................30
10.1. The Produce..............................................................................................................30
10.2. Collection and Processing.........................................................................................30
10.3. Production and Prices...............................................................................................31
10.4. Scope for Intervention..............................................................................................31
iv
10.5. Institutions Involved and Best Practices..................................................................31
11. A Pilot Intervention in Chironji.........................................................................................33
11.1. Introduction..............................................................................................................33
11.2. The Technology and Financial Requirements...........................................................33
11.3. Legal Aspects of the Intervention............................................................................34
12. A Pilot Intervention in Mahua...........................................................................................35
12.1. Introduction..............................................................................................................35
12.2. Financial Requirements.............................................................................................35
13. A Pilot Intervention in Lac................................................................................................38
13.1. Introduction..............................................................................................................38
13.2. Financial Requirements.............................................................................................38
14. Fuel wood Study................................................................................................................40
14.1. Introduction...............................................................................................................40
14.2. The Study..................................................................................................................40
14.3. Supply Patterns..........................................................................................................41
14.4. Demand Patterns.......................................................................................................41
14.5. Consumption and Prices of Fuel wood.....................................................................42
15. Conclusion..........................................................................................................................44
Annexures
References
v
LIST OF TABLES
1. Table 1: Characteristics of Mahua..............................................................................13

2. Table 2: Characteristics of Chironji.............................................................................18
3. Table 3: Characteristics of Chakoda...........................................................................20
4. Table 4: Production and export of stick Lac from India.............................................24
5. Table 5: Characteristics of Lac....................................................................................24
6. Table 6: Characteristics of Gums................................................................................ 28
7. Table 7: Characteristics of Shahad..............................................................................30
8. Table 8: Financial Analysis for establishing Chironji decortication plant................ 32
9. Table 9: Profit and Loss statement for Mahua pooling and storage.......................... 34
10. Table 10: Cost – Benefit Analysis for using nets for Mahua Collection.................... 34
11. Table 11: Production Costs for Lac cultivation on 10 Palash trees.............................42
12. Table 12: Expected returns from 20 Palash trees........................................................ 42
vi
LIST OF FIGURES
1. Fig. 1: The NTFP Trade Chain......................................................................................6

2. Fig. 2: Mahua tree with Flowers................................................................................. 11
3. Fig. 3: Chironji tree with Flowers............................................................................... 16
4. Fig. 4: The Chakoda Plant...........................................................................................19
5. Fig. 5: Lac on Palash tree............................................................................................ 22
6. Fig. 6: The Dhaawa tree............................................................................................. 26
7. Fig. 7: Fuel wood supply routes and consumption points in Bichchiya..................... 41
vii
1. Introduction
Forests form an important part of the ecology of an area and play a major role in conserving
the biodiversity of that area. Biological diversity is the variability among living organisms
from terrestrial, marine, inter alia and all other eco systems1. Other than maintaining the
gene pool of different species, biodiversity is important for a large number of stake holders
such as the society, government, development organizations, industries and most
importantly, indigenous groups. Specifically, forests give home to a large number of plant,
animal and bird species all of which have their own role to play in maintaining the
ecological balance. Various products from forests are used for domestic and industrial
purposes. However, there is a tendency to over exploit this important resource for economic
usage which creates multiple problems. Every now and then, actions performed by humans
tend to destroy the delicate balance which in turn leads to various calamities like floods,
droughts, etc. Unsustainable harvesting of Forest Produce is one such activity that has
caused a lot of damage to the forests in India.
1.1.Role of Forests in Rural Lives
Tribal people are completely dependent on forests for most of their daily requirements
such as food, fuel wood, fodder, medicines, etc. They share a symbiotic relationship
with the forests with each one taking care of the other. Forests provide them with an
important form of livelihood especially through NTFPs which are an important source
of income for the tribal population. On the other hand, forests require care and
systematic harvesting in order to survive in the long run. Generally, forest produce
such as Tendu leaves and Mahua is collected by villagers during the summer months
when they are not busy with agriculture. Any change in biodiversity affects the tribals
the most. They are the most important stakeholders in any activity concerning the
forests and hence, it is important to involve the local people in any effort to conserve
forests. Unfortunately, most of the change in the local ecology is brought about by
external agencies without taking into consideration the effect that the change has on
local communities. There is a greater need for involving local communities because
their participation can help make conservation and regeneration programs more
1
Biodiversity Conservation, Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF)
Programmes - Ideas for Implementation, UNDP, New Delhi
1
effective and help achieve a balance between the twin goals of biodiversity
conservation and livelihood security for the tribals.
Gonds, Baigha and Pathari are the major tribals found in the Mandla region2. Though
agriculture and agriculture related activities are their main occupation, they also
depend on forestry activities to sustain themselves in the dry months. Thus, there is
scope for establishment of cottage industries involving tribals to process forest
produce such as Chironji, Lac, Gond, etc.
1.2.Non Timber Forest Produce (NTFP)
All economically productive goods (including goods used for local consumption by
villagers) obtained from the forests can be termed as NTFPs. Non-timber products
can further be classified as products of plant origin and products of animal origin.
NTFPs of plant origin include those goods that are obtained in the form of leaves,
roots, flower, fruit, etc. while that of animal origin are those which are produced
mostly by insects living in forests and generally include honey, wax, lac, tusser etc.
These products are generally harvested by the local people and sold in nearby
markets. Thus, NTFPs form an important source of income for villagers and tribal
people.
Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh is one such tribal district that has a large forest
cover (about 48% of its total area3). Mahua and Tendu Leaves are the major NTFPs
harvested from the forests by the tribals in Mandla. The Mahua tree is harvested for
its flowers and fruits. Villagers collect Mahua flowers to produce liquor and sell it to
earn some money out of it. Tendu leaves are the most important NTFP for local
people in terms of income generation. It is used in the production of Bidis and is
bought by large Bidi businessmen from different parts of India. The villagers also
collect various other forest products in smaller quantities. However, these products
are either consumed by the villagers themselves or sold in the local markets directly.
Our study looks at the existing backward and forward linkages for the collection,
processing and marketing of various forest produce. It will also try and identify gaps
2
Reddy, K. S., Forest Working Plan (West Mandla Forest Division), 1993-94
3
Sinha, M. K., Forest Working Plan (East Mandla Forest Division), 1999-00
2
in these linkages and possible interventions to fill these gaps within the regulatory
framework provided by the state forest division.
1.3.Government Regulations regarding Forest Produce
The government has passed various laws regarding the control of NTFPs. The Indian
Forest Act, 1927 is the most important act which regulates the transit of forest
produce and fixes the duty leviable on timber and other forest produce. Besides this,
the state governments have also passed various laws which take into consideration the
local resources and conditions. While initial laws were only meant to prevent
degradation of forests, later laws such as the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 have
moved towards involving the local communities in the conservation of the
biodiversity4. However, these laws still do not give the local communities enough
rights and powers to decide the fate of local resources and avoid privatization or other
forms of misappropriation.
Forest Produce can be classified into two types based on the laws governing them5:
• Nationalized forest products are those products over which the government
exercises direct control. These products are directly procured and sold by the
Government. Such forest products include Tendu leaves, timber, bamboo, etc.
• Non - Nationalized forest products such as Mahua fruit and flower, Chironji,
Baheda, Gond, Jamun, Bel, Arjun and Saaja Chhal, Honey, etc. are not under
the direct control of the government. The local community can collect these
products from the forest, use them and/or sell them to registered traders or in
the local markets.
The forest division has made working plans based on the National Forest Policy, 1988
to increase productivity through natural and artificial regeneration, to stop soil erosion
and to conserve soil and water in order to meet the local demands.
4
Biodiversity Conservation, Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF)
5
3
1.4.Importance of Timber as fuel wood
Timber is an important resource obtained from the forests especially for the local
communities. It is used to build houses, make equipments, and as fuel wood for
cooking purposes. Tribals are almost completely dependent on fuel wood from forests
for their daily cooking requirements. Teak and Sal are the two important timber
producing trees found in the forests of Mandla.
The various uses and the wood used for those purposes are listed below6:
• Sagon, Tinsa, Beeja, Dhaman, Dhawda and Haldu wood is used for making
tools used in agriculture. Wood is also used in furniture and for construction of
window frames and doors of the houses.
• Timber is also used as fuel wood which is the most demanded part of Forest
Produce. Dhawa, Saaja, Lendia, etc are the varieties used for this purpose. The
use of fuel wood is the most important factor which puts pressure on Forests.
• Bamboo is used in repairing houses, making mats and baskets, etc. There is a
community called ‘Bansod’ whose main job is to make baskets from bamboo
trees. Though this community needs green bamboo but can only get dry
bamboo because of the time taken in transportation of bamboo from one place
to another.
• Besides these, trees such as saaja, bija and tinsa are felled to feed the cattle
during summer months when the fodder is scarce.
• Timber from some trees is also burnt to produce charcoal which is in turn used
for cooking and heating purposes.
A part of our study was also to look at the demand and supply patterns of fuel wood in
towns of Mandla district. The study would help map the present scenario of fuel wood
consumption in the region and design possible alternatives to reduce the dependence
on fuel wood.
6
4
2. Our Study
The aim of our study was to understand the various nuances associated with the NTFP trade
in Mandla District. Extensive field work was done during which we had interactions with
numerous villagers, traders, practitioners etc. who were related to NTFPs in some way or
the other. We also tried to identify the various issues plaguing the NTFP sector and possible
ways in which an organization could intervene in order to maximize returns to the
collectors through methods of sustainable harvesting and regeneration. It was mainly a
qualitative study done in the three blocks of Mandla district.
2.1.Objectives
The objectives of our study were as follows:
 To assess the dependency of surrounding villages with regards to NTFPs.
 To suggest suitable arrangements for collective economic activity on NTFP.
 To document value chain of six major NTFPs of the area and suggest points of
intervention, right from stage of collection.
 To assess the consumption of fuel wood in some particular places of Mandla and
fluctuation in its prices.
2.2.Scope
The scope of our study was limited to the three project clusters of FES in Mandla
district i.e. Bichhiya, Niwas and Mocha. Various villages under these three blocks
were visited and informal interviews were conducted mostly with villagers who were
into collection of some or all of the NTFPs found in the area. Information about
production and prices of various NTFPs was collected by visiting major NTFP
markets at the village level, block level and district level in the project area.
5
2.3.Methodology
The first week of our internship was spent in exploratory study of various NTFPs
found in Mandla region on the basis of which six major NTFPs were short listed for
further study. Criteria such as Production Scale, Scope for Intervention, Contribution
to annual income and Government Strictures was used to shortlist the NTFPs. The
information was gathered by visiting a few villages and interacting with various
traders.
Field work done in the three project clusters done in the next six weeks helped us
identify the various issues associated with each of the six NTFPs. Informal
discussions were conducted with villagers (involved in NTFP collection), local
village traders and block level traders and convenient sampling was used to select
both villagers as well as traders. Various organizations, already working in this sector,
were also visited and interactions with field workers and employees helped us identify
possibilities of intervention in each of the selected NTFPs.
Desktop research was carried out in the last week of the internship to identify
interventions happening in the NTFP sector across various other states like
Chattisgarh and Orissa. Best practices involved and Legal aspects of the NTFP trade
were also learnt during the course of this desktop research.
2.4.Limitations
There were some limitations to our study which are as follows:
• Since most of the NTFPs are harvested in the months of March-April, the
information obtained through interaction with different people in the value chain
is based upon their recall and hence figures for production and prices may not be
very accurate.
• Most of the information provided is based on primary sources such as our

interactions with village traders and villagers. Since villagers still consider the
NTFP business to be illegal and under the purview of the Forest Department, they
were apprehensive about divulging details about the collection and processing of
6
NTFPs. Limited information was available from secondary sources such as the
internet, journals, publications, etc.
7
3. The NTFP Trade Chain
Any NTFP passes through various intermediaries from its collector to processing industry
and the consumers. Each of these intermediaries has an important role to perform and
charge a commission of 2 – 6% on the value of NTFP traded. The NTFP trade chain in
operation for most of the NTFPs is as shown below:
Collectors
Through mandis or agents Local Village Traders
Block Level Traders (Bichchiya,

Shehpura, Mandla)
District Level Traders (Jabalpur,

Katni, Seoni)
Traders in Cities (Delhi,

Ahmedabad, Bombay)
Processing Industries/ Markets
Fig. 1: The NTFP Trade Chain
a. Collection: The NTFP is collected by villagers from nearby forests. It is then either
sold to local village traders or to the block level traders in weekly village mandis7
7
Mandis are weekly markets that are organized in each village on a rotation basis. The
mandi day is looked forward to by everyone as traders from different regions come to the
8
depending on the quantity collected and the prices offered. Some NTFPs such as
Chironji, Chakoda, Aonla, etc require processing before it can be sold in the
markets. Mostly labour intensive manual processing (e.g. filtering, sieving, boiling,
drying, etc.) is done by the villagers at the household level as they neither have the
required financial resources or the scale to get into mechanized processing. Storage
of NTFPs is also very rare except in Mahua which is used by the villagers as food
and fodder throughout the year. Thus, villagers may store small quantities of Mahua
or repurchase it later depending on their consumption and financial position in the
dry season8.
b. The Local Village Traders perform the task of pooling the produce in the village.
Sometimes they may collect produce from 2 – 3 villages. The prices offered by the
village traders are around Rs. 50 to 100 per quintal less than the prices prevailing in
the markets. Transportation, Storage and Packing costs are borne by these traders
and so they are able to earn Rs 25 to 50 per quintal traded.
c. Block Level Traders or Seths, as they are commonly referred to in the local
language, are larger traders who procure the produce from local village traders as
well as directly from villagers. They visit various village mandis or have agents in
villages to purchase the produce. They generally deal in both - agriculture produce
as well as NTFPs. The Block level traders sell their produce to larger traders in
cities such as Umeria, Shahdol, Jabalpur, Nagpur, etc. Since these cities are well
connected by rail, the produce can then be transported to processing industries in
Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi, etc. via traders in these cities. Most of the transactions
here onwards take place over the phone. Some products such as honey are directly
sold in the local markets during Melas organized by the government. Some villagers
also sell the NTFPs harvested in the markets directly.
Mahua has a slightly different trade chain from the one shown above. Mahua is only
used in villages for consumption purposes. Hence, the transfer of Mahua takes place
from production areas to deficit areas. Both intra village and inter village trade is
common in the case of Mahua.
village to sell their products and/ or to purchase commodities from the villagers
8
Though Mahua is consumed by the villagers throughout the year, they are forced to sell
the produce during the season and then repurchase it at higher prices just for the want of
money during the dry season (May – June)
9
The traders usually share a barter relationship with the villagers. The villagers buy
grocery and other items of daily need from these traders in exchange for their produce.
The traders are also an easy source of credit for the villagers during their hours of need.
Credit is available to the villagers at interest rates of up to 10% per month or 120% per
annum! The advance credit system ensures that these traders have an assured supply of
NTFPs during the season when the prices are the lowest. Thus, collectors are unable to
earn better returns on their produce even by performing simple tasks such as storage
and primary processing. Collectors also suffer on account of faulty weighing systems
used by these traders. The weighed quantity is almost always less than the actual
quantity collected.
10
4. Designing an Intervention in NTFPs9
NTFPs play an important role in the lives of tribal people. While some like Mahua have
strong religious sentiments associated with them, others like Tendu patta, Chakoda, Honey,
Gond, etc are an important source of additional income for the poor and landless villagers.
Though the amount earned from NTFP collection may not be much (Rs 1000 – 1500
annually), the income becomes critical especially because most of the NTFPs are harvested
in the dry months (March to June) when tribals have little or no income from other sources.
Baighas and Gonds are the two main tribal castes found in the Mandla District. While the
Gonds are known to be involved in the collection of only some NTFPs like Mahua,
Chakoda, Chironji, etc, it is the Baighas who are known for the abilities to venture deep
into jungles to collect Gond, Honey and other rarer NTFPs.
Selection of the right NTFP and the method of intervention is the first critical step. Efforts
at intervening in all the NTFPs at the same time have usually failed as each NTFP has its
own unique collection, processing and marketing issues. Taking each NTFP, one at a time,
will help villagers gain experience as they scale up and reduce losses due to the learning
curve. The intervention, while aiming to improve incomes of villagers, should also be
market and demand driven. However, looking at international markets for this can fall back
on its head as villagers usually have limited knowledge of the factors affecting international
market and the skills required to address them. Establishing links with local and national
industries can be of much help as it would provide the villagers with an assured demand for
their produce. Involving the local village traders and using their marketing experience can
help establish strong trade linkages and help prevent a possible back lash that interventions
in NTFPs have so often faced. Mostly, village traders are villagers themselves (who may be
slightly well off) and our interactions with them suggests that they may get involved for the
betterment of the village especially in NTFPs such as Gond and Lac which do not have
strong market linkages right now. At the same time, an intervention in NTFPs requires the
existing links between collectors and traders to be broken which is not an easy task.
Provision of credit is an important function that these traders perform and hence the
designed intervention should address this problem. This can probably be done by
9
Based on ‘Common Mistakes’ prepared by Mr. Sharda Gautam (Disha Cooperative) and
our interactions with Dr Bajesh Kumar Rai (Vigyan Ashram), Dr. Pratibha Bhatnagar (SFRI),
Dr. Moni Thomas (JNKVV) and various villagers in the project clusters
11
inculcating a habit of savings amongst the collectors so that they save atleast a percentage
of their income earned from NTFPs for use during their hours of need.
It is also essential to chose the target population carefully based on the NTFP we intervene
in. An intervention targeting the youths in the village is likely to be more successful as it is
the youth who are more enthusiastic and eager to earn a better income and work harder for
it. Proper encouragement should be given to the selected youths through training and
motivational programs. Our interactions with the villagers brought out quite interesting and
varying responses. While some came up with the idea of establishing samitis and
institutions to help them earn better prices on their own (Jhulup, Kanharikhurd, etc) others
were cynical about the idea and were more interested in individual benefits than benefits for
the village as a whole (Dungaria, Jangaliya, etc.). The cynicism largely stemmed out of the
bad experiences that the villagers have had with various other interventions and
organizations in the past. This highlights the importance of creating awareness and
providing villagers with proper training and guidance in order to make the intervention
successful. Hands on training and exposure visits are likely to be more successful than
instructive and one sided guidance.
The quantities of NTFPs collected have rapidly declined in the last few years due to
unsustainable harvesting and carefree felling of trees. Thus, conservation and regeneration
programs have to go hand in hand with the product intervention. Spreading awareness
about sustainable harvesting techniques and motivating villagers to plant more trees will
not only help maintain the ecological balance of the area but also help them increase their
collection which will in turn lead to higher profits over the years. WHO (World Health
Organization) has published guidelines for GACPs (Good Agricultural and Collection
Practices) for harvesting medicinal plants covering a wide range of collection activities.
The national governments are required to develop country-specific guidelines for
sustainable production of raw material of quality and standardized ingredients. 10 These
guidelines would help frame bye laws in any intervention involving NTFPs.
Some of the features of six selected NTFPs such as the product, its collection and
processing, production over the years and scope for intervention are described in the
following sections.
10
Referenced from http://www.iifm.ac.in/ntfp/NTFPGHPs.pdf on 14th December, 2010
12
5. Mahua (Madhuca longifolia)
5.1.The Tree and Produce

Mahua is a large deciduous
tree that grows widely under
dry tropical and sub tropical
climatic conditions. The
Mahua tree holds a sacred
space in the lives of tribal
folks. Almost each and every
part of the tree right from
roots, bark, leaves, flowers and fruits are used at different occasions. The
Fig. 2: Mahua tree with Flowers
leaves are good fodder; the bark yields tannin; the wood is put to several different
use; the flowers are edible and yields alcohol; the fruits are eaten and are a rich source
of sugar, vitamin and calcium; seeds produce fatty oils and de-oiled cake can be used
as fertilisers. The tribals have a long standing religious association with the tree. This
is also the main reason why rural households have been given user rights to particular
Mahua trees – either to those growing on their farmlands or to those growing on
common lands and forest areas if no Mahua trees fall on a particular household’s farm
land. These rights are recognised only for the collection of flowers and are passed on
from one generation to another.
The Mahua flowers are the most important product obtained from the tree. This tree
begins to flower at the age of 10 years and continues to do so for about 100 years. A
full grown tree can produce up to 90 kg of flowers in a season that lasts from 20 days
to 30 days11. However, the yield is known to alternate between high and low every
year. Lightning and rainfall are other factors that affect the yield of the tree. The
flower has high sugar content and hence, is used for production of alcohol. It is also
used to make sweets and to feed animals in tribal households.
Mahua is generally bartered for daily grocery items, the value of which is much
higher than the actual value of Mahua traded. Mahua consumption at the household
11
http://wiki.encyclopaediaindica.com/~encyclo3/wiki/index.php?
title=INDIAN_BUTTER_TREE on 14th December, 2010
13
level also takes place round the year, though not much is stored for the home from the
stock collected.12
5.2.Collection and Processing of Mahua Flowers

The flowers fall down upon ripening in the period of May - June and are collected by
villagers. Some days after flowering, Mahua fruits are collected and the oil obtained
from them is used for cooking purposes. The oil is also used in the manufacturing of
vanaspati ghee. The flowers drop off early in the morning at around 4 am and almost
every individual from the village is involved in the collection of flowers. The flowers
are food for a large variety of animals and birds. Hence, the villagers have to guard
the produce from animals and other people by collecting the produce early in the
morning. The GACP guidelines for Mahua suggest that the seeds should be harvested
once at the mature stage. Branches should not be cut for collecting seeds and some
seeds should be left on the plants to facilitate further natural regeneration.
Since the tribals have a hand-to-mouth existence, only few of them can go for storage
and processing and sell their produce when the prices reach their peak in the winters
(Jan – Feb). Hence, they have to sell of their produce at cheaper rates and later
purchase the same from traders at a higher price for consumption or for making wine.
5.3.Production and Prices

Mahua is either sold to the village trader who in turn sells the produce in the nearby
mandi or the villagers directly sell it in the mandi on a weekly basis as one day in
every week is meant for trading of goods in big places surrounded by many small
villages. The difference in prices paid by the village and block trader varies from 50
paise to one rupee. The current price which villagers get during March-April is Rs. 16
– 17 per kg while they purchase the same at Rs 20 – 22 per kg in the month of
November-December. On an average, each household collects around 1 – 1.5 quintal
of Mahua during the 15 – 20 days when the tree sheds its flowers in March- April
every year. In Niwas block, most of the Mahua is collected from villages near
Babaliya and Bakori and sold in Babaliya market on Thursdays. The various
characteristics of the produce are depicted below.
Table 1: Characteristics of Mahua
12
Radha Thakur and M.Srinu Babu, Engendering the Market with Mahua A community
based initiative in Mandla
14
Product Mahua
Scientific Name Madhuca longifolia
Parts used Flowers, Fruits
Block identified Niwas
Babaliya, Bastara, Bastari, Rausar,
Villages
Jangaliya, Katang Siwni, Mawai Maal
Production 1 – 1.5 quintal/household
Price Rs 14/kg in Mar-Apr
Rs 20-22/kg in Nov-Dec
Wholesale Price Rs 28/kg in Nov-Dec (Mandla)
Markets/Processing Majorly used to make alcohol in local
Industries breweries
Mahua is only consumed in tribal villages for making alcohol or food items with
almost negligible consumption in cities. Thus, trading of Mahua, which may be inter
block, inter district or in rare cases inter state, only takes place from the surplus
production areas to the deficit areas.
5.4.Scope for Intervention
The major challenge in the Mahua trade is to control distress selling by collectors.
Lack of space for storage and finance forces collectors to dispose of their produce at
cheaper rates when the supply is high. Most traders provide credit in advance to
assure their supply of Mahua during the season at cheaper rates. Although the
collectors know that the price of Mahua starts increasing after the rainy season, they
are forced to sell of their produce just for the want of money. Provision of technical
knowhow for proper storage and finance can help collectors store their Mahua for sale
in the winter season when the prices reach their peak.
The quality of Mahua is judged by its colour. Properly dried Mahua is dark red colour
and fetches a better price. Storage of Mahua flowers has to be done carefully because
insects can easily infect it during the rainy season. It is important to dry the Mahua
properly before storage. A drier can be used to bring down the moisture level to
within the desired range (around 12%). Once dried, the Mahua is covered in plastic
bags from all sides such that no air is allowed within. Chula leaves are also kept in
between the Mahua in order to prevent it from insect attacks.
15
5.5.Institutions Involved and Best Practices
Organizations like Udyogini and Ajeevika Pariyojana (MPRLP) are working to
promote storage of Mahua in March-April by forming SHGs in the villages and
providing loan to them so that they can pay the villagers for the Mahua produce at the
time it is delivered and then can sell it at higher margins in Nov – Dec.
These models are based on the idea of micro enterprises wherein rural people are
encouraged to establish their own enterprises. Udyogini is currently working in this
direction through women SHGs and its model can be replicated in other areas. The
value chain works in the following way. Women organized into savings, credit and
enterprise groups (WEGs) sell forest and agricultural commodities individually or
collected from group members to first level upstream enterprise called the village
level service center (VLSC) which is owned and operated by an Udyogini – trained
woman entrepreneur. Here the first level grading and sorting takes place. At this level,
unwanted materials like wooden sticks, dust, etc which comes with Mahua are
removed manually and through sieving. Onward, it goes to the cluster-level trading
centers (CLSCs) owned and part-managed by Udyogini-trained business providers.
Here, a second level grading, sorting and value addition takes place. At this level,
drying of Mahua in sunlight takes place which is necessary to prevent it from insects
before its storage. The change in colour from white to yellow and then to deep brown
indicates that the Mahua is dry now and ready for storage. It is then stored by forming
a wooden platform in a mud container surrounded by plastic bags on its walls. Mahua.
Trading with the outside market happens at this level. The same chain serves to retail
products and services to tribal households. Ancillary enterprises are an oil processing
unit which gets the seeds from the CLSCs and two processing enterprises (flour)
started by local entrepreneurs on their own which are buying wheat from VLSCs and
CLSCs.
Vasundhara, a policy and advocacy group working in the areas surrounding Baisipalli
Wildlife Sanctuary, in Nayagarh Orissa, helped the women establish a Mahua
cooperative that launched processed Mahua jams and jellies for the first time in the
country13. With support from Department of Science and Technology (DST) and
technical inputs from experts from Orissa University for Agriculture Technology
13
Referenced from http://www.vasundharaorissa.org/Research%20Reports/Mahua%20The
%20Lifeline%20of%20Tribal%20India.pdf accessed on 12th December, 2010
16
(OUAT), the local people learnt the low cost technology for processing of raw Mahua
into products like Jam and Jelly. They have also provided the collectors with nets that
can be spread out below the Mahua tree during the collection period. This technique
helps reduce the effort involve in Mahua flower collection while also keeping the
produce dust free.
17
6. Chironji (Buchanania lanzan)
Chironji Tree is a medium-sized

deciduous tree, growing to about 50 ft
tall. It bears fruits (commonly called
Char) each containing a single seed,
which is popular as an edible nut,
known as chironji. It is mostly found in
eroded ravine lands. It avoids waterlogged areas, but
Fig. 3: Chironji tree with Flowers
occurs locally in clay soils. It can be identified by the dark grey crocodile bark with
red blaze. A good species for afforesting bare hill slopes. It has tickly leathery leaves
which are broadly oblong, with blunt tip and rounded base. Leaves have 10-20 pairs
of straight, parallel veins. Pyramidal panicles of greenish white flowers appear in
early spring. Fruits ripen from April to May and remain on the tree for quite a long
time. Flowering takes place from January to March.
The Chironji fruits are considered as one of the delicious wild fruits. The seed kernels
are also eaten. The kernels are regarded as substitute for almonds. The bark yields
tannin (up to 13 percent) which is used in tannin industries. The natives also extract
oil for seed and use it as almond oil. According to reference literatures, it is also good
substitute to olive-oil. It is used for coating tablets for delayed action
Medicinal uses: The roots are acrid, astringent, cooling, depurative and constipating,
and are useful in treatment of diarrhoea. Leaves are used in the treatment of skin
diseases. Fruits are used in treating cough and asthma.
6.2.Collection and Processing
Chironji is collected in the months of May and June. The fruit is plucked in bunches
by climbing the tree which is a risky activity. Plucking the tender fruit using a stick
can spoil the fruit and hence is not practiced. A farmer has entire ownership of the
18
Chironji trees growing in his farms. However there is no fixed ownership of the
Chironji trees growing in forests and on common lands. Each tree can produce up to
10 to 15 Kg of Chironji fruit in a season. Once the fruit is plucked, it is kept in a
closed mud container for about a week for it to ripen completely. The flesh of the
ripened fruit is then either eaten directly or is crushed by stamping which leaves the
seed with a hard coat around it behind. It is ground in a traditional crusher to remove
the kernel which is then sold to traders in the market. The traditional decortification
process is quite cumbersome and it takes almost a month for a collector to sell the
produce after collection of the fruit.
Unsustainable harvesting techniques have reduced the number of Chironji trees in

Mandla District. The collectors cut entire branches in order to reduce their effort in
plucking the fruits. Moreover, they do not leave any fruits for regeneration. Such
destructive practices and unfixed ownership of trees growing in forests and on
common lands have reduced the amount of Chironji collected in Niwas over the
years.
The GACP guidelines for Chironji suggest that mature fruit kernels can be collected
when black in colour. Bamboo stick will be used for shaking branches. Fruits should
be collected after April and green collection should be avoided. Atleast one – third of
the fruits should be left for wild animals and regeneration.
Chironji is mostly collected in villages such as Bastra, Bastari, Jangaliya, Lohari,

Mohgaon and Mannheri villages of Niwas block and some villages in the Babheliya
cluster with negligible presence in other parts. The fruit fetches a much lower price
for the collectors than the kernel and hence, collectors usually grind the seed to obtain
the kernel. 5 Kg of fruit can yield almost 1 Kg of Chironji. Each tree can produce 2 -
3 Kg of Chironji which is sold for a price of around Rs 100 – 125 per Kg to the
village traders. Thus, a typical farmer owning 5 trees can earn about Rs 1500 by
selling Chironji every year. Prices for Chironji in the National Market were around Rs
400 – 425 per Kg. According to the traders, the amount of Chironji traded in the
markets has reduced drastically over the last few years and last year only 4 – 5
19
quintals was traded in the Babheliya market. Similar quantities were traded by traders
in the Niwas market as well. The various characteristics of the produce are depicted in
the table below:
Table 2: Characteristics of Chironji

Product Chironji
Scientific Name Buchanania Lanzan
Parts used Seed Kernel
Block identified Niwas
Villages Jangaliya, Lohari, Bastra, Bastri,
Production 8 – 10 Quintals
Price Rs 100 – 125/kg (May – June)
Wholesale Price Rs 400 – 450 /kg (Raipur)
Markets/Processing Cold storages in Kanpur;
Industries Most of it is consumed locally
Almost 60% of the Chironji collected in Madhya Pradesh is sent to Kanpur where
Cold Storages are located. The prices for Chironji are also decided by the traders in
Kanpur. Of the rest, almost 20% is sent to Delhi and the rest to Mumbai and other
cities. However, almost all of the Chironji collected in Niwas area is sold to small
traders, sweet meat shops, etc in Jabalpur directly.
There is a huge demand for Chironji in big cities like Jabalpur and Raipur. In fact,
most of the Chironji procured by traders in Niwas is directly bought by distributors
and sweet shops in Jabalpur. Even simple pooling would help villagers earn better
returns as the price difference between the villages and cities is huge.
20
Chironji decortication machines are also available which can reduce the human effort
involved in extraction of Chironji seeds considerably. However the quantity of
Chironji collected in the area currently is too low to justify any investment in
technology.
Though none of the organizations in Mandla district have established a Chironji

processing plant, Disha Cooperative in Mayurbhanj, Orissa has plans to start
operations in its Chironji processing plant within the next one year.
21
7. Chakoda (Cassia tora)
Chakoda or Charota is the most commonly found NTFP in the Mandla region. It is
equally abundant in almost all areas of the
district and is collected in huge quantities by
the villagers as well. Chakoda is an
Ayurvedic herb and is also used extensively
in Chinese medicine. It grows in hot, wet,
tropical climates both wild and
commercially. This is an upright plant with compound leaves in groupings
Fig. 4: The Chakoda Plant
of six. It bears 20-cm pods which contain many cylindrical seeds. It can be used as a
substitute for coffee. Cassia Powder is also used in making food for pets, natural food
additives, air freshener in the form of gels and for healing skin diseases like ring
worm. Along with above, Cassia Tora powder has other applications especially in
food industries as it has an excellent gelling property. It is also used for
emulsification, foam stabilization and for the purpose of moisture retention. The seeds
are collected from the beans when the beans ripen in November – December every
year.
Chakoda is generally collected in the months of November and December. Since this
is also the time when villagers are busy with their agricultural harvesting, collection
of Chakoda takes a back seat. It is only done by children who do not play a role in the
agricultural harvesting or by adults when they are free. Since Chakoda is freely
available all over the region, premature harvesting is very rare.
The Chakoda plant is cut and bundled in heaps which are then dried in the sun. Once
dry, the seeds are removed from the beans either by beating them with a stick or
spreading them out on the road so that the beans are crushed by moving vehicles and
22
the seeds are removed. The seeds are then collected and simple sieving is done to get
rid of the leaves, sticks, etc. The cleaned seeds are directly sold off in the market.
For Chakoda, the GACP guidelines suggest that the whole plant can be harvested
when it turns golden in colour. Dry pods should be beaten up by bamboo stick on
ground and a few mature (un-harvested) plants should be left on the ground.
Production depends on rainfall to a large extent. Prices vary from Rs 1200 per quintal
to Rs 700 per quintal based on production. Prices are expected to be around Rs 700 –
800 per quintal this year. A local village trader is able to collect around 40 – 50
quintals of Chakoda every year. He gets Rs 550 – 800 per quintal for the produce.
The traders estimate that annual trading of Chakoda is worth Rs 4 – 5 Crore in
Mandla District alone. The various characteristics of the produce are depicted below:
Table 3: Characteristics of Chakoda

Product Chakoda
Scientific Name Cassia Tora
Parts used Seeds
Block identified Bichhiya
Sarhi, Taktoua, Chandiya, Indravan,
Villages
Khatola, Jogisodha, Jhulup, etc
Production 600 tonnes in Bichchiya
Price Rs 7/kg
Wholesale Price Rs 8/kg (Raipur)
Markets/Processing Surendranagar, Dahod, Vatwa (in Gujarat)
Industries and Mumbai;
The major industries for Chakoda processing are located in Surendranagar, Vatva and
Dahod in Gujarat and Mumbai where they are used in the manufacturing of seed gels,
fodder for animals, etc. Most of these products are exported to European countries.
23
Since the technology required for Chakoda processing and manufacturing products is
pretty complex, scope for forward integration is limited. Pooling may help collectors
gain a better price and increase their bargaining power. Storage of Chakoda does not
require much effort and can be easily done to earn a higher remuneration. However,
the margins for trade in Chakoda are very low.
No organizations are currently working in pooling or processing of Chakoda.

Possibilities of setting up cottage industries for making Chakoda powder and seed
gels is being explored by us.
24
8. Lac
8.1.The Trees and Produce
Lac can be found on Kosum (Schleichera oleosa),

Palash (Butea monosperma) and Ber (Zizyphus spp)
trees. However, since Ber trees have thorns on
them, collection of Lac becomes difficult and hence
is not practiced. Lac collected from Kosum trees is
considered to be of much better quality and sold at
almost double the price of that collected
Fig. 5: Lac on Palash tree
from Palash trees. Unfortunately, the number of Kosum trees in the forests of Mandla
has reduced considerably due to rapid felling while Palash trees are still present in
large numbers. Culturing and extraction of Lac on Palash trees is pretty viable and
can be promoted in villages.
For cultivating Lac, two types of host trees are used, perennial trees and annual
bushes. They are infested with Lac insects Laccifer lacca (Kerr) and left undisturbed.
Thousands of Lac insects colonise branches of the trees and secrete the resinous
pigment. After five to six months Lac-bearing branches are cut, and broods are tied to
new host trees. The harvested trees are left for one to two years so that they grow new
branches.
In October, one crop of broods is introduced on larger trees and the Lac is harvested
in April or May the next year. If the plants are small, they are left to be infested in
June and harvested in October. Each Lac crop costs the farmers about one week of
work14. Lac encrusted on branches or twigs of trees is known as stick Lac. Initial
preparation involves scraping from the branch/ twigs and producing scraped Lac. The
scraped Lac is then crushed and sieved to grains. It is then washed with water, soda
etc, dried in a natural atmosphere, manually cleaned to produce seed Lac that is ready
for export and/ or further processing into shellac through heat treatment or solvent
extraction.
14
Referenced from http://www.downtoearth.org.in/node/2251 visited on 08/12/2010
25
Lac is widely used in the ammunitions industry and in manufacturing of a large
number of products like Pharmaceuticals, Paints, Adhesive, Cosmetics, Ayurvedic
Preparation, Wood Polishes, Insulating Electrical Conductors, Sealing Wax & Paper
Varnish.

Lac is collected after six months of the exposure of the trees to Lac insects. When
these insects produce Lac on the branches of the trees, it is collected manually and
some of the insects are put on the branches of other trees so that they are able to
produce Lac in another six months. Traditionally, Lac is scrapped from the sticks with
the help of a knife and then it is sent to the factories as such without any grading for
processing into shellac, bleached Lac, dewaxed or decolorized Lac.
The process is very laborious, time consuming and lot of impurities such as sand, dirt,
stick and fine wood particles also get mixed with the scrapped Lac encrustations. On
an average, a person can scrap about 10 kg of Lac in a day, manually. Separation of
the impurities is carried out by additional unit operations such as sieving and
winnowing, which increase the processing cost. The scrapped Lac encrustations are
non-uniform in size and require further crushing /grinding in the factories to obtain
the desired size of raw Lac suitable for making different products.
Lac sells at different prices in the mandi based on the tree from which it is obtained. It
is usually collected twice in a year – once during October, November and once during
June, July. Once collected, simple cleaning is done to get rid of twigs, leaves and
other unwanted matter. The clean Lac is then sold in the market.
A Palash tree can produce 4 – 6 Kg of Lac every 6 months which can then be sold at
about Rs 40 – 60 per Kg. A collector can earn Rs 400 – 500 from each Palash tree
every year. On the other hand, a collector can earn almost Rs 70 – 80 per Kg for Lac
obtained from Kosum trees.
26
Lac cultivation in India has steadily declined over the years due to large scale felling
of trees and Lac insects being sensitive to pest attacks. The production and export of
Lac over the last few years are given in the table below15:
Table 4: Production and export of stick Lac from India

Stick Lac Export
Average Highest Lowest Value
Corresponding Corresponding Quantity
Decade production production production (In Rs.
year year (M.T.)
(M.T.) (M.T.) (M.T.) Million)
1931 - 1940 43731 43800 1936-37 32692 1931-32 31414 11.98
1941 - 1950 43000 65000 1946-47 30863 1948-49 25519 15.78
1951 - 1960 43000 49000 1956-57 24407 1953-54 29300 18.6
1961 - 1970 33000 38700 1967-68 17651 1964-65 17244 14.79
1971 - 1980 20000 23869 1973-74 9119 1978-79 8684 111.32
1981 - 1990 16200 20300 1986-87 11650 1983-84 6626 221.8
1991 - 2000 20000 25500 1997-98 14785 1990-91 7561 774.41
2001 - 2006 19500 21500 2001-02 17500 2002-03 6809 1131.09
Though the Bichchiya block has a huge number of Palash trees, Lac cultivation is not
practiced as the process of collection of Lac from the wild is difficult and time
consuming. Though the ammunition industry in Khamariya faces a huge shortfall in
their Lac requirement, Lac cultivation has not yet been promoted in the region.
Balarampur in West Bengal is the major trading centre where most of the Lac
processing and exports take place from. The various characteristics of the produce are
shown in the table below.
Table 5: Characteristics of Lac

Product Lac
Name of Trees Palash (Butea monosperma)
Parts used Insect excretion on branches
Block identified Bichhiya
Jhulup, Kanhari Khurd, Kanhari Kala,
Villages
Muwala Maal
Negligible though large number of trees
Production
found
Price Rs 60 – 75/kg
Wholesale Price Rs 90 – 100/kg (W.B.)
15
Report of the Study on Lac Sub Sector, Chhattisgarh State Institute of Rural Development
27
Markets/Processing
Balarampur (W.B.), Khamariya, Umariya,
Industries
Lac cultivation on Palash trees can be promoted in a huge way in Niwas and
Bichchiya blocks. Individuals or groups of villagers owning more than hundred trees
can be targeted in order to attain a viable scale of operation. Another option could be
to form SHGs and take Palash trees on lease from the Joint Forest Management
(JFM) Committee for Lac cultivation. Financial implications and modalities of such
an intervention are given in Section 13 below.
An organization called Centre for Rural Biotechnology is working on Palash Lac

production on a very small scale. They harvest the Lac manually and after purifying
it, supply it to the Ammunition factory in Khamariya.
A Lac Cooperative has also been set up in Annupur, MP. The cooperative has taken
up Palash plantation on a large scale which is then used for harvesting Lac and other
important produce. Dr. Moni Thomas (Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vidhyalaya) is an
expert in Lac cultivation and processing who has done extensive work in this field.
Details about the intervention are beyond the scope of this report.
28
9. Gond (Gums)
9.1.The Trees and Produce
Gums are plant exudations, partly as a

natural phenomenon (as part of the
normal metabolism of plants) and partly
as a result of injury to the bark or stem
(due to fungal or bacterial attack).
Mostly gums are exuded by the stem,
only a few gums are obtained from
roots, leaves and other parts of the plant.
Gums are primarily formed by the
disintegration of internal plant tissue
through a process known as gummosis.
Gums extracted from Kullu (Sterculia urens) and Salai (Boswellia serrata) trees are
valuable forest
Fig. 6: The Dhaawa tree
produce. In addition gum from Axle Wood tree or Dhaawa (Anogeissus latifolia),
Cutch tree or Khair (Acacia Catechu) and Indian gum arabic tree or Babool (Acacia
nilotica) are also extracted and are economically important.
Out of these Kullu gum is the most precious and is collected in very small quantities.
Salai gum is also of good quality while Dhaawa gum is considered to be of bad
quality and sold at cheaper rates. Our study focussed on Salai and Dhaawa gums
because these trees are still found in the forests of Mandla district. The colour of the
gum varies from whitish yellow to amber. This variation depends on following factors
like storage time, duration it has remained on tree before being picked and the tear to
the bark.16
The gum obtained is directly sent to processing industries where it is sorted and
impurities are removed. Cleaning, grinding, sizing and blending is done next to obtain
uniform grades of Gum. Almost all of the gum in India is directly exported either in
16
http://www.alibaba.com/product-free/108404879/GUM_GHATTI_INDIAN_GUM_Dhawa.html
referenced on 12th December, 2010
29
lump form or powder and no secondary processing takes place in India. During the
process of particle breakdown, impurities are removed from the gum by sifting,
aspiration and density table separation. Powdered Gum is light tan in colour and has
bland taste and practically no odour.
Following are some of the applications of Gum:
• As an emulsifier and stabilizer in beverages and butter containing table

syrups.
• As a flavour fixative for specific applications.
• Used in the preparation of powdered, stable, oil-soluble vitamins.
• As a binder in long-fibered light weight papers.
• As an emulsifier of petroleum and non petroleum waxes to form liquid and

wax paste emulsions.
Gums are generally collected by slitting the bark of the tree with an axe and tying a
vessel below it. The gum oozes out of the slit and gets collected in the vessel over
time. This naturally obtained gum may contain a lot of impurities in the form of wood
pieces, dust, etc which is either removed by hand or sold off directly in the market.
This slitting technique may be injurious to the tree and may even lead to its death.
Such practices have resulted in the death of a large number of trees in the past which
led to the banning of gum extraction from Kullu and Salai trees by the Madhya
Pradesh Government in 1982 and 1992 respectively. These bans have been lifted for
some districts since 1995.17
Since the quantity of gum obtained from each tree is very less, collectors usually mix
the gums obtained from different trees.
17
Avinash Upadhyay, Gums and Resins NTFP Unexplored
30
The amount of gum collected in this area has decreased considerably over the last few
years. According to the villagers, not all Saaje, Salai and Dhaawa trees produce gum
and the numbers of gum producing trees are rapidly decreasing. The prices of gum
vary quite drastically according to the quality. Pure white Kullu gum can fetch up to
Rs 170 – 180 per Kg while impure gum can even fetch negligible prices. The practice
of mixing gums obtained from different trees results in much lower price realisation
for the collectors. The following are the characteristics of the produce:
Table 6: Characteristics of Gums

Product Gond (Gums)
Kullu (Sterculia urens), Salai (Boswellia
Name of Trees
serrata), Dhaawa (Anogeissus latifolia)
Parts used Exudations from bark
Block identified Mocha
Kapot Bahra, Paudi, Dungaria, Bagaspur,
Villages
Changul, Tilri , Chanai
Production 3 - 4 quintal
Price Rs 35 – 40 /kg for Dhaawa gum
Wholesale Price Rs 100/kg (Raipur)
Markets/Processing
90% is exported; rest is locally consumed
Industries
Simple sorting and grading of gums collected from different trees can help in better
price realisation for the collectors. Also, cases of adulteration are quite widespread
and hence, quality is an important parameter that decides the prices of gums. Good
quality gums can attract up to double the prices of impure and bad quality gums.
Moreover, there is a need to establish stronger market linkages in order to ensure that
collectors get better prices. Our interactions with village traders revealed that gums
were only traded in larger markets such as Jabalpur and Raipur and it was not
possible for them to transport the gum from the villages to these markets. Spreading
31
awareness about the collection of gums and establishment of market linkages could
result in improvement of quantity of gums collected especially in the Mocha region
and villages surrounding Tatri. SFRI is in the process of designing a training
programme for sustainable harvesting of gums and may be able to provide training to
interested villagers from next year.
Since the quantity of Gum collected in the region has reduced drastically, none of the
organizations working in the area are looking to intervene in gum collection or
trading in the near future.
32
10. Shahad (Honey)
10.1. The Produce
Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced
by honey bees (the genus Apis) is the one most commonly referred to and is the type
of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans. Honey produced by
other bees and insects has distinctly different properties. Honey has a long history of
human consumption and is used in various foods and beverages as a sweetener and
flavouring. The main uses of honey are in cooking, baking, as a spread on bread, and
as an addition to various beverages such as tea and as a sweetener in some
commercial beverages. It also has a role in religion and symbolism. Flavours of honey
vary based on the nectar source, and various types and grades of honey are available.
It is also used in various medicinal traditions to treat ailments. Honey along with
lemon in lukewarm water is used to reduce extra fat from the body. Some people use
honey as part of their daily diet. It can be taken in plain form, with water and with
milk. People purchase honey in two forms: Branded and Unbranded (Loose). Branded
honey is purchased by urban consumers mainly and the main existing brand is Dabur
along with some brands restricted to different regions of the country.
Honey is collected from wild beehives made by bees in the dense forests of Kanha
National Park. It has been found that only one – fourth of the beehive contains honey.
Hence, it is unnecessary to destroy the entire beehive to collect honey. Leaving
behind the dry part of the beehive can ensure that the bees don’t desert the beehive
and regeneration of honey takes place every one and a half to two months.
10.2. Collection and Processing
Villagers usually collect honey by breaking or burning entire beehives. The honey is
then squeezed out of the honey comb and collected in beer bottles (750 ml). A honey
comb made by smaller bees (Indian hive bee/Asian bee or Apis cerana indica) can
produce 3 - 4 bottles of honey while that made from bigger bees (Rock bee or Apis
dorsata) can produce up to 8 bottles of honey. Once collected, simple filtering is done
33
to remove impurities and unwanted matter from the honey which is then bought by
traders.
Traditionally, wild honey is collected by villagers using smoke to make bees desert
the beehives and beehives are then cut to obtain honey from them. After that, honey is
purified to remove wax and other impurities using a sieve. It is then filled in 750 ml
bottles of beer and sold in the village itself or to the village or mandi trader.
10.3. Production and Prices
The current price which the villagers are getting now – a – days for one bottle of
honey is Rs. 60-70. The practice of collecting honey by breaking or burning entire
beehives can kill most of the bees and destroys their eggs as well. Such destructive
practices have reduced the amount of honey collected from the forests in and around
Bichchiya considerably. Moreover, villagers have been barred from entering the
National Park where most of the honey combs are now found.The various
characteristics of the produce are depicted below.
Table 7: Characteristics of Shahad

Product Shahad (Honey)
Block identified Mocha
Villages Kapot Bahra, Khatiya, Manegaon
Production 50 – 100 Kg
Price Rs 60-70/750ml
Wholesale Price Rs 130/kg (Ghughri)
Markets/Processing
Ghughri; Is mostly consumed locally
Industries
10.4. Scope for Intervention
Due to the current practice of using smoke for harvesting, honeybees desert their
home permanently and regeneration of honey doesn’t take place. The villagers can be
trained to cut only that part of the beehive which is necessary and uniforms can be
provided to them so that they don’t have to use smoke for harvesting.
34
10.5. Institutions Involved and Best Practices
WWF and Centre for Advanced Research and Development (CARD) are working
towards sustainable harvesting of honey. Both the organizations have provided
training and uniforms to villagers so that honey can be harvested sustainably. Besides,
the reducing quantity of honey collected in villages, the inhibitions amongst villagers
about honey collection being unsafe is the major hurdle they face. These inhibitions
are mainly due to unfortunate incidents like death of an individual while collecting
honey from a tree in the village or a nearby village. CARD gets most of its honey
from nearby villages of Mawai. It then processes the honey provided by the villagers
in its own mills and also markets it under the brand name of ‘Aranyak’ through
government outlets.
35
11.A Pilot Intervention in Chironji
11.1. Introduction
The current method adopted for removing Chironji kernels from the seed using
manual decorticators is quite labour intensive and time consuming. According to a
collector it takes almost a month for him to sell the Chironji kernels obtained after
ripening, drying and crushing of the
SCALE OF OPERATIONS
Chironji fruit and seed. There is a scope for
Our initial interactions with villagers
introduction of technology here to reduce in various villages in the Niwas
the amount of labour required in the block initially revealed that almost 5
– 7 quintals of Chironji is collected
process. Both manual and automatic
in every village every year. However
Chironji seed decorticators are available for triangulation by interaction with
installation. However, since the quantities of employees of Udyogini (an NGO
working in the region) and traders in
Chironji collected in the villages are too
Niwas and Babheliya revealed that
low, making investments in establishing an the quantity of Chironji traded in the
enterprise of Chironji collectors is not region is very low. In fact, only 4 – 5
advised. Moreover, since villagers already Quintals of Chironji were traded in
Babheliya and Niwas markets last
decorticate the seeds in a traditional year. Thus, introducing machines to
grinding stone and don’t sell the fruits process 4 – 5 quintals of Chironji
directly, there is no substantial value would be unviable. (Financial
analysis shown below)
addition except for the savings in labour.
Pooling of Chironji might be much more beneficial as the rates in cities like Jabalpur
and Raipur were found to be almost 4 times of the rates prevailing in the villages.
There is a huge demand for Chironji for household consumption and in sweet shops
in these towns which can be tapped in order to ensure proper remuneration for the
collectors.
11.2. The Technology and Financial Requirements
The calculations done for the decortications machine developed by Madhya Pradesh
Vigyan Sabha, Bhopal (Mr. Ajay Kumar Khare) clearly shows that the proposition
36
would be unviable for the expected quantity of 5 quintals. The calculations are done
based on the analysis done by Disha Cooperative in Mayurbhanj, Orissa.
Table 8: Financial Analysis for establishing Chironji decortications plant

Feature Description
Madhya Pradesh Vigyan Sabha,
Developer
Bhopal (Mr. Ajay Kumar Khare)
Motor 3HP (Crompton & Greaves )
Capacity 200 – 300 Kg/Eight hours

Yield 18-22%
Machine Cost (including
Rs 1 lakh
transportation)
Packaging Machine Cost Rs 30 thousand
Total Variable Costs (Storage,

Rs 22 per Kg
Labor, etc.)
Total Costs* Rs 1.5 lakh
Opportunity Savings (Labor)* Rs 1.25 lakh

Breakeven Quantity Around 7 Quintals
As the table above shows, the total cost of machinery, labour, electricity etc. required
to process Chironji is more than the savings incurred as a result of saving on Labour
and time (Assuming NREGA wage rates).
The costs incurred in simple pooling would only amount to the total variable costs
indicated above i.e. Rs 22 per Kg which is negligible as compared to the price
difference of Rs 250 – 300 per Kg between prices in cities like Jabalpur and those in
villages.
11.3. Legal Aspects of the Intervention
37
Pooling of Chironji can be done by forming SHG s at the village level which would
require minimum legal obligations.
38
12.A Pilot Intervention in Mahua
12.1. Introduction
The sale of Mahua when its supply is high in the market (March-April) and its
repurchase in December by the villagers can be stopped by forming self help groups
and providing loans to them so that it can be sold later at a higher price. The group
can collect Mahua from its members as well as purchase it from the villagers at the
going market rate and store it with the assistance of FES. The storage is done in June
after drying up the Mahua in May. For its storage, Mahua requires an air tight place
which can be made through a mud container with its inner walls surrounded by
polythene. The polythene is also used to close the mouth of the container. In this
manner, it is not attacked by various insects and atmospheric conditions like moisture
and air. Mahua can then be taken out at the end of November and sold at a higher
price. In this way, each member of a ten member group will earn around Rs 1400.
A new initiative of using nets to collect Mahua is also proposed. This method of
collection would reduce the drudgery involved in Mahua collection and also reduce
the amount of impurities (dirt, twigs, etc) present, thus helping villagers get a better
price.
12.2. Financial Requirements
The financial requirements for this intervention would not be very high. An amount
of Rs 60 thousand would be sufficient which can vary depending upon Mahua
production in different villages (see profit and loss account). The analysis is done on
the basis of an actual case study of an SHG of 10 members in Chappri, Mocha. The
members of the group were able to procure 30 quintals of Mahua during the season
(May – June) at a cost of Rs 18 per Kg. The Mahua was stored till November and the
costs incurred in storage are shown. However, around 2 Quintals of Mahua were lost
due to spoilage and drying. Hence, only 28 quintals were sold in the market for a
price of Rs 18 per Kg. The opportunity cost of labour would be around Rs 750 (Rs 25
per quintal) which is not included in financial analysis.
39
Table 9: Profit and Loss statement for Mahua pooling and storage
Proposed Profit and Loss Statement for Mahua

(all figures in Rupees)
Sales 60000
COGS 43400
Gross Margin 16600
Operating Costs
Storage
Polythene Bags 420
Anti termite powder 40
460
Transportation 1800
2260
Net Margin 14340
The table below shows the cost benefit analysis of using nets for Mahua collection as
against the traditional system of picking it up from the ground. It is assumed that each
household owns two trees which produce 1.5 Quintals of Mahua in a year. Thus the
total benefit to a household could be Rs 312.5 or almost Rs 2 per quintal.
Table 10: Cost – Benefit Analysis for using nets for Mahua Collection
Cost - Benefit Analysis for using Nets (in Rs.)
Cost of Nets 100
Increased Price per kg for Mahua 0.25
Benefit due to increased price 37.5
Opportunity Saving of Mahua collection 375
Total Benefit 412.5
Total cost 100
Net Benefit 312.5
Despite being a freely tradeable item, 2 per cent Mandi Tax is imposed on Mahua,
even though it is hardly sold in Mandis which are far from the villages, and so the
collectors are forced to sell it to the local traders and grocery shops. Further, a 12 per
40
cent sales tax is imposed on Mahua within MP, while the interstate transportation tax
is 3 per cent. Besides this 4% VAT and 14% tax on finished product has to be paid.
This is irrespective of whether the enterprise is at the SHG level or a larger trader
level. Although transit passes for Mahua are not required in Madhya Pradesh, they are
required in the neighbouring states and hence, free trade may not always be possible.
Trade restrictions in terms of the Excise Act, restriction of 5 litres of maximum
storage of Mahua liquor per family have been removed by the state government.
41
13.A Pilot Intervention in Lac
13.1. Introduction
Lac cultivation can be promoted on the Palash trees which are found in huge numbers
in Niwas and Bichchiya blocks. However, since the quantity of Lac obtained from
each Palash tree is quite insignificant, Lac cultivation needs to be done on atleast 100
trees at a time. A group of 10 – 12 collectors can be formed at the village level who
would own the Palash trees. This would ensure that significant quantities are collected
by the group. Another option available is to take up Palash trees on lease from the
Joint Forest Management (JFM) Committee which is responsible for the care and
upkeep of forests in the village.
The collectors need to be provided with the necessary equipments and brood Lac
initially. Brood Lac is the mature stick Lac with live female insects ready to lay eggs
within the encrustations. Once the eggs hatch, the larvae have a crawling period of six
to seven days during which they have to be transferred to a new branch. On – field
training for successful breeding of Lac can be provided to interested villagers through
demonstrations and exposure visits to nearby places like Seedhi and Annupur where
villagers have been cultivating Lac on similar models. The manual process of
scrapping Lac from the branches using secateurs is a time consuming and
cumbersome process. Machines have been developed by CIPHET, Ludhiana to
reduce the labour required. The machine known as Lac scrapping machine is suitable
for scrapping of Lac encrustations, faster than traditional manual process, and
combined Lac scrapper cum grader (20 and 50 kg capacity per hour) is suitable for
production of graded raw Lac at individual Lac grower’s level.
A report prepared by the Department for International Development, India for the
Madhya Pradesh Rural Livelihood Project mentions in detail the steps to be followed
for designing an intervention in Lac (Enterplan, June 2006). The report does not
recommend promotion of small scale producer processing of Lac at the village level
because the working capital requirements are high while the margins are low.
Moreover inconsistent quality Lac produced by small scale machines is sold at much
lower prices.
42
Lac is used in the manufacturing of a variety of products like nail polish, lipstick,
aeroplane paints, ammunition, etc. Most of the processing industries are located in
Balrampur, West Bengal. Traders in Balrampur can directly be contacted to purchase
the Lac produced.
13.2. Financial Requirements
The report by MPRLP mentions in detail the costs incurred in inputs, training and
marketing of Lac by village level institutions. Specifically, the costs incurred on
brood Lac and other inputs required for Lac cultivation on 10 trees are shown below:
Table 11: Production Costs for Lac cultivation on 10 Palash trees
Inputs Quantity Cost
Brood Lac @1kg/tree 10kg@Rs65/kg Rs 650

Nylon pouch
@10/tree 100@Rs1.70 Rs 170
Secateurs 2 nos. Rs250 Rs 500
Twine(sutli) 1kg Rs20/kg Rs 20
Total Rs1340
The expected production of Lac from 20 trees taking a conservative estimate of yields
between 60 to 80 % is shown below:
Table 12: Expected returns from 20 Palash trees
Baisakhi (October Katki (May/ June

Harvest) Harvest)
40kg (Rs.3200) 60kg (Rs.4800)
Scraped lac @Rs80/kg @4kg/tree @6kg/tree
OR
30kg (Rs.2400)@
Scraped lac @Rs80/kg 3kg/tree PLUS
120kg (Rs.7800) 30kg (Rs.1950)
Brood lac @Rs65/kg @12kg/tree @3kg/tree
These tables show that a yearly investment Rs 1990 in Lac cultivation gives a yearly
yield of Rs 7410 in the first year and in subsequent years (based on 2006 rates).
43
Promotion of Lac production in MP has been under MP Chief Minister’s Fellow

programme since 2002. Lac cultivation has been promoted under various programmes
by the Department of Rural Development, GoMP and MP Minor Forest Produce
(Trade and Development) Co-operative Federation limited and other additional
programmes like the Integrated Tribal Development Programme, Madhya Pradesh
Rural Livelihood Project, Rajiv Gandhi Watershed Development Mission, etc. The
programme is now being mentored by the Development Commissioner, RDD and the
Managing Director, MP MFP. Thus, various Govt. agencies can be contacted and
their guidance sought in order to make the intervention successful.
44
14.Fuel wood Study
14.1. Introduction
Fuel wood is used in households, restaurants, tea stalls, schools etc. for heating and
cooking purposes. It is cheaper than commercial LPG which is the main reason for its
widespread use in restaurants and in tea stalls. Schools implementing the mid – day
meal scheme are forced to use fuel wood instead of LPG because they are not given
enough subsidies. According to the State Forest Policy (2005), villagers living within
five kilometre radius of the forest borders have been granted permission to bring head
loads of fallen dry fuel wood for their own consumption18. Only broken branches and
twigs can be used as fuel wood and that too, cannot be sold to commercial
establishments. However, improper implementation and regulation of such laws have
created a huge market for fuel wood in towns like Bichchiya and Mocha. In fact,
according to our estimate, 5000 – 6000 Kg of wood is burnt every day in restaurants
and tea stalls in Bichchiya.19
The aim of our study was to understand the status of demand and supply of fuel wood
for commercial establishments (restaurants and tea stalls) in these two towns. We also
tried to analyze the seasonal variations in prices for fuel wood and the underlying
reasons for these variations. Since charcoal forms a close substitute for fuel wood and
is mostly used by small tea stalls, some time was also devoted to understand the
market conditions for charcoal.
14.2. The Study

The fuel wood study was conducted in two clusters i.e. Bichhiya and Mocha. The
study was conducted by tracking fuel wood supply routes through which fuel wood
was supplied to the towns early every morning. The market dynamics (determination
of prices) in play were observed and informal interactions with dhaba and tea stall
owners were carried out to assess the consumption at a particular place. Interactions
with villagers supplying fuel wood were also done to assess the demand and supply
patterns and fluctuations in prices in different seasons.
18
Referenced from http://www.mpinfo.org/mpinfonew/english/cd/040405.asp on 12th
December, 2010
19
Calculated assuming a wood to charcoal conversion ratio of 10:1
45
However, reluctance of villagers to reveal the real rates and quantity of fuel wood
supplied proved to be a major limitation for our study since villagers know that fuel
wood trading is illegal and have been harassed by police officials in the past.
Moreover fluctuations in prices and quantities supplied are mostly based on the
opinions of dhaba owners.
14.3. Supply Patterns

Bichchiya is a market town with many small and big restaurants and tea stalls
consuming up to 90 gatthas20 of fuel wood every day. Fuel wood and charcoal is
supplied to these every morning from the nearby villages such as Burra Tola,
Bhanpur, Kanharikala, Mawalamal, Gitti Tola, Banjari, Katanga, Deelwada, Shari,
etc. Generally women from these villages bring head loads of fuel wood early in the
morning every day in huge numbers. The supply of fuel wood is higher on the weekly
market day i.e. Friday. An increase of almost 50% was observed in the supply of fuel
wood on Fridays (97 gatthas) as against that on other days (64 gatthas). Each gattha
weighs around 35 – 40 Kg. Charcoal is also brought along by these villagers in sacks
weighing around 50 Kg.
The supply of fuel wood is quite unorganised in Mocha as compared to Bichchiya.
Most of the fuel wood is supplied as and when demanded by the resorts and dhaba
owners. Khatiya and Manegaon are the two main villages where fuel wood comes
from. The villagers here do not have a fixed routine of bringing fuel wood to the
market every morning. Thus the fuel wood market in Mocha is demand driven while
that in Bichchiya is supply driven. The size of a gattha in Mocha is also much smaller
and weighs around 20 – 25 Kg. The use of charcoal in Mocha was not observed and
may be considered to be negligible.
14.4. Demand Patterns

The demand pattern for fuel wood in the two towns is quite distinct from each other.
In Bichchiya, fuel wood is used to a large extent by dhabbas, restaurants and snack
shops for cooking purposes. The town has 8 sweets and snacks shops which require 5
- 6 gatthas of fuel wood every day on an average. Three dhabas (Rajput Bhojanalay,
Madhuvan Dhabba and Annapoorna Dhabba) cater to a larger customer base (more
20
A gatta or a head load is a commonly used measure for quantity of fuel wood. Each gatta
weighs around 35 – 40 Kg though there may be large variations.
46
than 100 customers every day) and hence require up to 15 gatthas of fuel wood. The
demand for fuel wood in these dhabas remains almost constant right throughout the
year except during the festive seasons when the demand for sweets and snacks shoots
up. The demand for fuel wood is also higher on the weekly market day i.e. Friday as
Bichchiya has the biggest mandi in the area and hence there is a huge inflow of
people from nearby villages.
On the other hand, the market for fuel wood in Mocha is highly demand driven with
large variations in the demand for fuel wood based on the tourist inflow. Fuel wood is
mostly used by resorts for heating purposes and by a few dhabas. All the tea stalls in
this town have switched to kerosene because they find it cheaper and hassle free. The
dhaba owners are also slowly switching to LPG for the same reasons. These factors
have reduced the dependence on fuel wood over time. However, it is still being used
in water boilers and room heaters by tourist resorts which are more than 50 in number
and 3 dhabas which burn around 15 gatthas of fuel wood every day for cooking food.
Each water boiler requires 1 gattha of fuel wood if burnt for an entire day. The
demand for fuel wood shoots up both in resorts and dhabas during the holiday season
(Christmas and summer) and is almost zero in the rainy season when the park is
closed for visitors.
14.5. Consumption and Prices of Fuel wood

The consumption of fuel wood and charcoal is much more in Bichchiya than in
Mocha. Though the resorts and dhabas continue to use fuel wood for cooking and
heating purposes in Mocha, the consumption has reduced over time as more and more
of the resorts and dhaba owners are switching to alternative sources such as LPG and
Solar energy.
The current prices for fuel wood in Bichchiya are Rs 50 – 60 per gattha with each
gattha weighing around 35 – 40 Kg. The prices can shoot up to Rs 70 per gattha
during the rainy season when dry wood is hard to find and during winters when the
villagers are busy with harvesting and other agricultural activities. Prices are
relatively low (Rs 30 – 40 per gattha) during the dry summer season when villagers
are not busy with agriculture. Besides weather and the agricultural cycle, NREGS has
also affected the prices of fuel wood. Availability of employment for villagers during
the summer months has reduced their dependence on fuel wood for additional
47
income. Surprise checks by the forest department also cause the prices for fuel wood
to shoot up sometimes.
The major supply routes for fuel wood in Bichchiya block are depicted in the figure
below.
Katanga
Banjari
Jhulup Burra
Deelwada tola
Gitti tola
Sarhi
Taktouwa
Bhanpur
Fig. 7: Fuel wood supply routes and consumption points in Bichchiya

The use of charcoal is comparatively lesser as it is much costlier (current price is Rs
200 per bora) and only small tea stalls use it for making tea and boiling milk. Each
bora of charcoal weighs around 50 Kg and lasts for 8 – 10 days21 on an average.
Around 30 such tea stalls are operating in and around the Bichchiya market area
presently. The prices for charcoal also show some variation in the range of Rs 180 to
Rs 250 per bora.
In Mocha, the smaller sized gattha (20 – 25 Kg) costs Rs 30 at the current prices.
Though there are fluctuations in prices, they are not as striking as in Bichchiya. This
may be due to the fact that villagers supply fuel wood only when demanded and know
that the resort and dhaba owners will come to them for their fuel wood requirements.
21
Consumption of charcoal also depends on the wood it is made from. Charcoal from
Harra, Dhawa, Saaja and Tinsa is considered good as it is heavy and burns for longer
periods of time while that from Teak and Bamboo burns out very quickly.
48
15.Conclusion
NTFPs play an important role in the role of tribals especially because they provide them
with an important source of income during the dry months when they have almost no other
alternative sources of income. However, unsustainable harvesting and degradation of
forests have resulted in a large scale reduction in quantities of almost all NTFPs found in
the region.
An intervention in NTFP needs to address the collection and processing issues that villagers
face. Establishing strong market linkages with industries/ markets is also important as that
would ensure that the collectors receive the maximum returns. However breaking the
traditional trade linkages is not easy as each link within the chain has an important role to
perform. Thus, the intervention needs to look at the collection, processing and trade
linkages for each NTFP separately and identify unmet needs of the villagers.
Potential for intervention was identified in Mahua and Lac. SHGs could be established for
the pooling and storage of Mahua. An added initiative of providing collectors with nets to
collect Mahua could be taken up which would improve the returns that the collectors get for
their produce. The main aim of the intervention would be to reduce both – distress sales
during dry months as well as repurchase during the winters.
Similar groups could be formed for promoting Lac cultivation on Palash trees as Palash
trees are found in huge numbers in the region. A group needs to own atleast hundred such
trees in order to make the initiative successful. In case a group does not own these many
trees, they could be taken up on lease from the JFM Committee. A suitable incentive
sharing mechanism between the group and the JFM committee needs to be worked out in
order to avoid opportunism.
The scope for intervention in all other NTFPs under study was restricted to the Pooling or
Grading & Sorting stage as either the quantities obtained are too low or the technology
available is very complex and cannot be implemented at the village level. An intervention
in such NTFPs would first require an extensive awareness and regeneration programme so
that the quantities collected improve over time.
49
ANNEXURES
Annexure 1: Seasonal cycle of Major NTFPs
Product Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
Chakoda Seeds mature
Broodin
Broodin g 1 and Harvest Recupe Broodin
Lac
g2 Harvest ing 1 ration g2
ing 2
Van tulsi Seeds mature
Harra Fruit Collected
Baherra Fruit Collected
Mahua Flowering Fruit Ripens
Bel Fruit Fruit Collected
Chironji Flowering Fruit Ripens
Van jeera Seeds mature
Aonla Flowering Fruit Ripens
Tendu Patta Leaves Collected
vii
Annexure 2: Possible Interventions in NTFPs
Type of Intervention
Name of
the non
Area of
timber Community/
Intervention Regeneration Pooling
forest Harvesting private Primary Secondary Credit
produce on public/ through
practices storage Processing Processing linkage
private lands SHGs
structures
Bichiya X X X X X
Honey Mocha X X X X X
Niwas
Bichiya X X X X X
Mahua Mocha
Niwas X X X X X
Bichiya X X X
Lac Mocha
Niwas X X X
Bichiya X X
Chakoda Mocha X
Niwas X X
Bichiya
Gond Mocha X X X
Niwas
Bichiya
Chironji Mocha
Niwas X X X X
viii
REFERENCES
1. Biodiversity Conservation, Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF)
2. Reddy, K. S., Forest Working Plan (West Mandla Forest Division), 1993-94
3. Sinha, M. K., Forest Working Plan (East Mandla Forest Division), 1999-00
4. Thakur, Radha and M.Srinu Babu, Engendering the Market with Mahua A community
based initiative in Mandla
5. Chhattisgarh State Institute of Rural Development, Report of the Study on Lac Sub
Sector
6. Upadhyay, Avinash, Gums and Resins NTFP Unexplored
7. Strategic Development of Lac in Madhya Pradesh, MPRLP, June 2006
8. Mehta, S., Rupela, O.P., Ramakrishnappa, K., Producer Company (PC)/Institutional PC

of, for and by the Farmers
9. NTFP Enterprise and Forest Governance, FGLG India
10. http://banajata.org/pdf/state-level/Madhya-Pradesh.pdf referenced on 10th December,

2010
11. http://www.iifm.ac.in/ntfp/NTFPGHPs.pdf referenced on 14th December, 2010
12. http://wiki.encyclopaediaindica.com/~encyclo3/wiki/index.php?
title=INDIAN_BUTTER_TREE referenced on 14th December, 2010
13. http://www.vasundharaorissa.org/Research%20Reports/Mahua%20The%20Lifeline
%20of%20Tribal%20India.pdf referenced on 12th December, 2010
14. http://www.downtoearth.org.in/node/2251 referenced on 08th December, 2010
15. http://www.alibaba.com/product-
free/108404879/GUM_GHATTI_INDIAN_GUM_Dhawa.html referenced on 12th
December, 2010
16. http://www.mpinfo.org/mpinfonew/english/cd/040405.asp referenced on 12th

December, 2010
ix
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STUDY ON NTFPs, ITS FORWARD & BACKWARD LINKAGES AND

SPACES FOR INTERVENTION IN THE VILLAGES OF KANHA

Management Traineeship Segment

Faculty Guide: Prof. CMA Paresh J. Bhatt

INSTITUTE OF RURAL MANAGEMENT, ANAND

Anshuman Gupta (p30004)

Utsav Mishra (p30053)

1.1.Role of Forests in Rural Lives......................................................................................1

1.2.Non Timber Forest Produce (NTFP)............................................................................2

1.3.Government Regulations regarding Forest Produce....................................................2

1.4.Importance of Timber as fuel wood.............................................................................3

3. The NTFP Trade Chain.......................................................................................................7

4. Designing an Intervention in NTFPs.................................................................................10

5. Mahua (Madhuca longifolia)..............................................................................................11

5.1.The Tree and Produce.................................................................................................11

5.2.Collection and Processing...........................................................................................13

5.3.Production and Prices.................................................................................................13

5.4.Scope for Intervention................................................................................................14

5.5.Institutions Involved and Best Practices....................................................................15

6. Chironji (Buchanania lanzan)............................................................................................17

6.1.The Tree and Produce.................................................................................................17

6.2.Collection and Processing...........................................................................................17

6.3.Production and Prices.................................................................................................18

6.4.Scope for Intervention................................................................................................19

7. Chakoda (Cassia tora).......................................................................................................20

7.1.The Tree and Produce.................................................................................................20

7.2.Collection and Processing...........................................................................................20

7.3.Production and Prices.................................................................................................21

7.4.Scope for Intervention................................................................................................21

7.5.Institutions Involved and Best Practices....................................................................22

8.1.The Trees and Produce...............................................................................................23

8.2.Collection and Processing...........................................................................................24

8.3.Production and Prices.................................................................................................24

8.4.Scope for Intervention................................................................................................25

8.5.Institutions Involved and Best Practices....................................................................26

TABLE OF CONTENTS (Contd.)

9.1.The Trees and Produce...............................................................................................27

9.2.Collection and Processing...........................................................................................28

9.3.Production and Prices.................................................................................................28

9.4.Scope for Intervention................................................................................................29

9.5.Institutions Involved and Best Practices....................................................................29

10. Shahad (Honey).................................................................................................................30

10.1. The Produce..............................................................................................................30

10.2. Collection and Processing.........................................................................................30

10.3. Production and Prices...............................................................................................31

10.4. Scope for Intervention..............................................................................................31

11. A Pilot Intervention in Chironji.........................................................................................33

11.2. The Technology and Financial Requirements...........................................................33

11.3. Legal Aspects of the Intervention............................................................................34

12. A Pilot Intervention in Mahua...........................................................................................35

12.2. Financial Requirements.............................................................................................35

12.3. Legal Aspects of the Intervention............................................................................36

13. A Pilot Intervention in Lac................................................................................................38

13.2. Financial Requirements.............................................................................................38

13.3. Legal Aspects of the Intervention............................................................................39

14. Fuel wood Study................................................................................................................40

14.2. The Study..................................................................................................................40

14.3. Supply Patterns..........................................................................................................41

14.4. Demand Patterns.......................................................................................................41

14.5. Consumption and Prices of Fuel wood.....................................................................42

1. Table 1: Characteristics of Mahua..............................................................................13

1. Fig. 1: The NTFP Trade Chain......................................................................................6

1.1.Role of Forests in Rural Lives