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M.P. tendu leaf collection begins

BHOPAL: Tribals and rural people in western Madhya Pradesh have started collecting tendu leaves, a major non-timber forest produce used for rolling beedis, and during the current plucking season, 42,000 standard bags of tendu leaves have already been collected.

According to the Laghu Vanopaj Sangh (Madhya Pradesh State Minor Forest Produce Co-operative Federation Limited), 20.60 lakh standard bags of tendu leaves have been sold in advance this year. At the initiative of the Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chauhan, the price of tendu leaves has been fixed at Rs. 550 per standard bag. This marks a 22 per cent increase over last year’s price of Rs. 450 per standard bag.

Madhya Pradesh is the biggest tendu leaf producing State. The average annual production of tendu leaves is around 25 lakh standard bags, which is one-fourth of the total tendu leaf production in the country. One standard bag of Tendu leaves has 1000 bundles of 50 leaves each.

Tendu leaf collection has been standardised in the State. The tendu plants are pruned in the February and March each year and after a gap of about 45 days the mature leaves are collected in bundles of 50 leaves, which are dried in sunlight for about a week. The dried leaves are sprinkled with water to soften them and then filled tightly in jute bags and exposed to direct sunlight for two days. These bags are stored till they are used for rolling Beedis. Some State forest officials told this Correspondent that forests were also set on fire during the pruning season to obtain a better crop of tendu leaf.

The primary cooperative societies of pluckers are directly engaged in the task of tendu leaf collection. The State Government had enacted an Act in 1964 to establish State control over tendu leaf trade. In 1989 the government adjusted its regulations and established a co-operative structure for the collection and trade of tendu leaves.

The State Minor Forest Produce (Trading & Development) Co-operative Federation Limited was formed to extend maximum benefit of tendu leaf trade to the forest dwellers involved in the collection and trade of tendu leaves. For this purpose, a three tier Co-operative structure was introduced with the State Minor Forest Produce Federation acting as the apex federation. At the primary level, are the primary forest producers’ cooperative societies. These are supported by the District Forest Produce Co-operative Unions.

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