Dabugaon: Tribals under this block in Nabarangpur district are resorting to distress sale of Sal seeds on account of their lack of awareness about the prices of the minor forest produce (MFP) as fixed by the state government, a report stated.
In the absence of any proper mechanism, traders are calling the shots while deciding the prices that suit their convenience. Left with no option, the collectors of the seed have to sell off their stock at throwaway prices to traders and continue to remain impoverished.
The trend has been reported from the tribal-dominated Dabugaon block where the inhabitants collect Sal seeds during summer season and make their living out of the proceeds of sale. It is alleged that the Sal seeds collectors incur losses by resorting to distress sale as they are not aware of the state government-fixed prices. This is allegedly due to the failure of the government officials in making the tribals aware of the support price and facilitating the sale at the right costs.
Sources said the state government has permitted the panchayat samitis to fix the prices of MFPs and facilitate their sale. However, the order seems to have remained only on papers as the tribal villagers are completely ignorant of the prices of various MFPs.
It is alleged that the traders in the haats fix the prices of MFPs at their will and fleece the gullible tribals. The apathy of the government officials in panchayats is to be squarely blamed for the state of affairs.
The tribal population is dependent on the collection of 64 varieties of MFPs including Sal seeds and Mohua flowers to earn their livelihood.
The plight of the collectors at tribal-dominated Saraguda village under this block is a case at this point. It is a ritual for men and women in this village to wake up early and collect the Sal seeds from the jungles in the vicinity. They go about collecting till evening when they return home.
On average, each of them collects around 10 to 15 kg Sal seeds daily. But they are oblivious to the government prices for their stock. After collecting a sizeable stock, they go to the panchayat haats where they are forced to sell the seeds at Rs12 to 15 per kg as pegged by the traders. Scores of women from the village, including Buduri Pujari, Sanai Bhatra, Manai Pujari, Kalam Pujari, Jambati Pujari, Manak Bhatra, Bagabati Pujari, Dashri Pujari, Dhandi Bhatra and Jaymani Bhatra have made these allegations.
However, the price of Sal seeds as fixed by the state government and available with Tribal Development Co-operative Corporation of Odisha Ltd (TDCC) stands at Rs20 per kg. A comparison between the government price and the rate at which the tribals sell their stocks reveals that the hapless sellers are incurring losses anything between Rs5 to Rs8 per kg.
In 1967, the state government set up the TDCC to facilitate the marketing of tribal products with a view to ensuring remunerative prices to the primary producers and collectors.
Sources said that 50 per cent of the forests near Dabugaon block, spread over 2,519 sqkm, is covered by Sal trees. A senior Forest official, requesting anonymity, said that in past, 1 lakh quintal of Sal seeds used to be collected every year from Dabugaon block alone.
The state government has delegated the sale and management of MFPs to the panchayats 20 years back. However, it has been seen that over the years the panchayats are only sanctioning licenses to the traders instead of doing anything good for the collectors.
The state government appears to have equally turned a blind eye towards the collectors’ plight and seldom took stock of what the panchayats are doing for the tribals in all these years. A senior official said that TDCC is planning to buy Sal seeds from tribals and efforts are on to construct a godown in the district.
When contacted, Dabugaon panchayat development officer (PDO) Padmanabha Bhalla said that the prices of the MFPs are fixed in October every year and the price of Sal seeds has been fixed at Rs20 per kg.
PNN