TRIFED’s Go Tribal Campaign aims to reduce the distance that the traders travel to sell their products by expanding the online market and increasing its reach. By Team Viva
Far from the madding crowd, in the seclusion of the Nilgiri plateau in Tamil Nadu, the Toda tribe has found a haven in the intricate art of embroidery. The tradition has been passed from generation to generation, carrying their distinctive history in every thread. However, to this day, even as the tribe engages in this laborious artwork, which has found a place in the people’s wardrobes, the alarming loss of culture clouds them. Trespassing on the native soil of the tribals has pushed their cultural identity to the edge of disappearance. Political ambition has further vandalised their attempts to maintain their culture and skill. That is why they channel anguished voices in their artistry, which is purely hand-crafted and their tradition and history echoes in every intricate detail of the product.
‘By the Tribals, for the Tribals and through the Tribals’ is the root of ‘Go Tribal Campaign’, a collaborative endeavour of TRIFED, Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Amazon Global to give the community, about eight per cent of country’s population, a domestic and international market for trade.
Combating radical transformation in their culture, Pravir Krishna, managing director, TRIFED, shares the idea behind the monumental campaign, “In the last two years, the procurement from tribals witnessed an impressive high from 500 to 3,600 lakh, which encouraged us to formalise it on a larger scale. The success was the fact that we were able to provide work to 13 lakh adivasis.” This was not only a crucial but also an encouraging result from which the dynamics of the campaign were born. But what makes this initiative’s language different from the ones that preceded it — will it benefit the tribals? “It aims at beating the competition at its game through a combination of fair and aggressive marketing strategies, which are normally not expected from government agencies,” he says.
Consequently, the distance that tribals travel to sell their products has tremendously reduced due to the online market. Through Amazon, their contact reaches about 190 countries. The campaign ensures that “the customers pay the rightful price.” The acceptance of tribal goods in the market corresponds to the customer’s demand. The consumers want natural items with good quality. Tribals have targetted two birds with their collection like Madua, Jowar, Bajra.
But what about the longevity of the impact? Krishna says, “It aims to double the turnover every year and has a five-year perspective to enhance tribal livelihood. We propose to raise tribal man-days from the present 13-50 lakh over two years and so on.”
While the campaign counters economic instability of adivasis, the other facets of their livelihood cannot be ignored. “Promoting tribal trade provides the right economic impetus for all social developments,” explains he. The tribals also fear the crisis of eviction. He responds, “Well earning tribals will manage to fight all their battles. The VanDhan campaign aims to promote processing and marketing of forest products through setting up 60,000 SHGs (Self-Help Groups).”
The initiative works within a detailed framework where both customers and tribals are facilitated. There might be an inkling of fear for yet another bout of tribals’ exploitation here, but such insinuations are dismissed, “Their hard work will be translated to a high economic harvest. They will receive 60 per cent of the profit from these sales,” says he.