Over 5 lakh quintals of Mahua flowers worth about Rs 170 crores are collected annually in Chhattisgarh. These flowers are steadily gaining popularity nationally and globally due to their premium quality and use of latest technology.
Over 750 quintals of Mahua have been exported to the UK this financial year, a press statement said on Thursday.
Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and Forest and Climate Change Minister Mohammad Akbar want continuous efforts to be made to provide maximum benefits to the forest dwellers for collecting Minor Forest Produce (MFP) and their processing.
A process has been developed by the Chhattisgarh State Minor Forest Produce Cooperative Federation Ltd to make food grade Mahua flowers. This has been done to ensure that forest dwellers get maximum income from the collection of Mahua flowers.
Principal Secretary (Forest) Manoj Pingua and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Rakesh Chaturvedi said the state government has revised the minimum support price of Mahua flowers to Rs 33 per kg this year.
A variety of Mahua products including 'ladoos', juice, cookies, chocolate, pickle and jam are being manufactured at the Mahua Processing Center at Rajnandgaon and sold under the 'Chhattisgarh Herbals' brand name.