Forest and Environment Minister Nagar Singh Chauhan has instructed the concerning officers to prepare a detailed action plan to further enlarge the social security cover for the tribal families involved in forest produce collection.

The Forest Minister said that Madhya Pradesh has abundant forest produces and rixch diversity. The families associated with collection and trading of minor forest produce can avail immense benefits by strengthening the forest produce based economy, For this, it is necessary to prepare a data base of every family so that multiple benefits can be given to them. No family could remain deprived of benefits.

Forest Minister Chouhan said that local trade of minor forest produce takes place in weekly haat markets in remote areas. Many middlemen buy forest produce from tribal collectors at a throw-away prices and then sell them at higher prices. Collectors bring forest produce like Amla, Mahua, Baheda, Bel pulp, Dhavai flower, Chirayta, Nagarmotha, Palash flower, Nirmali, Byvidang, Gataran, Gudmar leaf, Satavar, Salai gum but in the absence of proper market strategy, they do not get proper remuneration. They sell it to local traders without getting the deserving remuneration.

The Forest Minister instructed the concerning officials that when the minimum support price of 32 types of forest produce has been declared, then they should also make a suitable strategy to ensure that the minor forest produce collectors get proper price for their hard work. He said that the prices of these forest produce keep fluctuating in the national and global markets. Therefore, families collecting forest produce should also be aware of this. The responsible authorities should make a fool-proof system and take steps to ensure that collectors can timely get information about the market rates.

Till now the minimum support prices of 32 minor forest produce have been fixed. By fixing the collection price of minor forest produce, forest dwelling tribes collecting the minor forest produce will not have to depend on middlemen for these forest produce.