Khunta: Tribal people in many parts of Mayurbhanj district are leading miserable lives without much scope for work, even as the government claims that it implements labour intensive MGNREGS.
For instance, in most parts of Khunta block, tribals have to scrape a living on minor forest produce. After kharif season, they hardly find any work. During this time, villagers around Similipal collect minor forest produce, sell them in the market and meet the expenses throughout the year. It is anybody’s guess how they manage their families with the meagre income from the forest produce.
But those collecting minor forest produce and selling it in the open market often fail to get the right price in the absence of any clear cut government policy, it is said.
Social activists say the price the tribals get for their minor forest produce is not commensurate with their hard labour.
People of Simagadia, Gayalmara, Nalakhamana under Khunta block, and Baradangua, Surukuna Shilaghati, Balidiha, Kenduamundi and Nabakishorepur under Gopabandhunagar block are now selling sal seeds at throwaway prices to traders.
Jhuma Dehuri of Baradnagua village said, “Due to severe heatwave, we dare not go for daily waging. We wake up in the wee hours, go to forest and collect sal seeds.”
After collecting the seeds, they dry them on roads or in any other open space. “A person collects 15 to 20 kg of seeds daily. A kg of sal seeds is sold for Rs 12. This is how we meet our daily expenses,” Dehuri said.
Akhila Kunar, another villager, said for the last two/three years, nobody has been buying sal seeds. They were getting rotten in the forest. “This year, some traders are interested in buying sal seeds. That’s why we are collecting seeds these days,” he added.
Now, the government has empowered the panchayats to fix the prices of minor forest produce and facilitate sales. But locals alleged that no system has been put in place to market minor forest produce.
Sarbeswar Patra, executive officer of Sanakhunta panchayat, said that no order has been issued by the government fixing minor forest produce prices. The panchayats have a provision for issuing transits to seeds collectors, he said.