Tribals resort to distress sale of MFP as admin sits pretty

Absence of adequate government-supported infrastructure and pricing mechanisms is forcing tribals of Gopabandhu Nagar block in Mayurbhanj district to sell valuable forest products such as mahua flowers and sal seeds at throwaway prices.

- POST NEWS NETWORK

The local tribal population here primarily sustains itself through farming and the collection and sale of minor forest produce (MFP).

Residents in several tribal-dominated villages said that after the culmination of the farming season, they spend around six months collecting minor forest produce like broom grass, honey, lac, berries like charkoli, mahua, and sal seeds which are important sources of income for them. But the lack of fair market mechanism has kept their economic condition unchanged, they rued.