The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Fall in forest produce worries GCC

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Nov 17, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version


=

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Fall in forest produce worries GCC

R. Jagadeeswara Rao

Visakhapatnam: Steady decline in the production and procurement of minor forest produce (MFP), renamed non-timber forest produce, and the decreasing dependence of tribals on forest produce and entry of private parties, specially members of Indira Kranthi Patham, in the business of MFP, resulting in unhealthy competition, have been causing a concern to the Girijan Cooperative Corporation. The total business in MFP last year (20006-07) was to the tune of Rs.23 crore. It came down to Rs.16.84 crore in 2007-08. Going by the present trends it is likely to come down further. Authorities, however, assert that they plan to achieve a business target of Rs. 25 crore in 2008-09. According to officials, total quantity of non-timber forest produce has been adversely affected because of unseasonal rain. In certain areas there has been deficit rainfall.

At a recent meeting attended by Minister for Tribal Welfare D.S. Redya Naik, the performance of the GCC in the last one and a half decades was reviewed and the need for corrective measures to boost up sales of MFP was stressed. On the positive side, the GCC was able to reduce cumulative losses to the tune of Rs.8 crores because of its good performance in the last couple of years.

The government has been implementing a number of welfare schemes and according to officials of the GCC, schemes like National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme resulted in tribals shifting from the traditional vocation of procuring forest products for their livelihood to the employment provided by the execution of NREGS.

With a view to improving its sales, GCC plans to explore new markets and train tribals in the procurement of non-timber forest products and make it attractive. Now the GCC has been supplying its products to Tribals Welfare Hostels.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh