Scheme for ‘Mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) through Minimum Support Price (MSP) and Development of Value Chain for MFP”

It was launched in 2014 with the objective to support Minor Forest Produce (MFP) market development and ensuring fair returns to the tribal gatherers. It is organized by TRIFED along with Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

  • As part of the scheme, various skills up gradation trainings have been conducted for the MFP gatherers. A component of this training is to encourage MFP gatherers to from SHGs, producer companies, cooperatives or other collectives to improve their bargaining power.
  • District Implementing Units have been the implementing agencies and had adopted ‘cluster development approach’.

What is ‘Timber-first Policy’?

  • It states that state is interested in timber products from the forest whereas the tribals are mostly dependent on MFP which are non-timber products. To ensure adequate production of MFP, trees needs to be conserved because of their interdependence.This policy of state which is central to timber utilization for tribal/forest development is called as ‘Timber-first’ policy.

Issues

  • As a result of the Timber-first Policy, the area under MFP-bearing trees is shrinking. This is reflected in a general fall in production figures of various MFP.
  • The trade mechanism of MFP at the primary haat bazar level remains highly inequitable to the tribals. As a result of this, even when the market prices appear impressive, the cash that comes to the tribals’ hands remains low. Substantial gain is reaped by the long chain of middlemen.
  • To summarize, the first mile and the last mile intervention by the Government to safeguard the tribals’ trade-interests in MFP is still pending. To overcome the drawbacks of the scheme government came up with ‘Van Dhan Yojana’ in 2018.

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