Due to rampant felling of ‘Char’ forest and the subsequent fall in production, chironji in Bastar is facing the prospect of extinction and with prices of this desi dry fruit touching sky high, commoners are left with nothing but to recall the days they relished this unique forest produce in abundance.
Notably, due to its unique taste and healthy composition, chironji is liked as one of the best dry fruits not only in Bastar, but throughout the country as from sweets to delicious sweet-meats, use of chironji is a must. It not only rouses the aroma of the food but also enhances its nutrition value. Specially ‘barfi’ and ‘ladoo’ are incomplete unless chironji is one of their contents.
Unfortunately, of late the production of the chironji has seen drastic fall as a number of reasons are assigned to it: While the char forest, whose seeds are processed as chironji, is witnessing rampant felling, the forest department officials looked hardly concerned about its regeneration.
Another, and the most serious reason is the displacement of tribal population of over six hundred villages of South Bastar to makeshift relief camps in their bid to escape the persecution by Maoists even at the cost of abandoning their traditional profession of collection of forest produce which has led to abysmal collection of this scars item. Role of hoarders or agents who incite innocent Adivasis to sale the produce even unripe is also not less responsible for its sad State of affairs.
Whatever be the reason, collection of char seed has virtually ceased in Dantewada, Bhairamgarh, Barsur, Bijapur and other such areas which produced the best quality of chironji. On the other hand whatever quantity arrived from inner pockets, security forces Jawans deployed in Bastar area to fight against insurgency and local agents of dry fruit tycoons remained on look out to grab it at any rate.
Divisional Forest officer J Nayak on the other hand said despite chironji being chief forest produce of Bastar artificial plantation of char is very difficult or is virtually not possible. As far as its natural growth is concerned, local traders and agents of big dry fruit dealers purchase even unripe fruit from tribal collectors without waiting for their natural ripening. Due to this new char trees did not grow even in the wild.
The Indian medicinal plant chironji carries the botanical name Buchanania latifolia Roxb. This herb is also known as ‘charoli’ in India. It is basically a common Indian medicinal plant and is a type of nut used in making desserts. Chironji or char is an evergreen tree with a straight cylindrical trunk and up to 15 metre height with rough, dark grey bark.
According to local traders, Chironji of Awapalli area is considered as the best given their big size and fine texture. Sold at Rs 150 per kg at present it is selling at Rs 10,00 per kg. Bastar people say their relatives living outside Bastar request for sending 'phul jhadoo', honey, 'tikhur' and chironji of Bastar but the prohibitive price of the chironji has made it a rare commodity now.