Low MSP on Minor Forest Produce Forcing Chhattisgarh Tribals to Throng Cities for Jobs

Tribals in in Adivasi-dominated Chhattisgarh are not happy with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government after the minimum support price (MSP) on minor forest produce was reduced.  As a result, thousands of tribals have been forced to leave the forests to look for employment in cities.

Lac (coloured and Kusumi), Mahua, Sal and Flowers are some of the minor forest produce which forest dwellers collect from the dense forests and sell in the market. However, since the past few months, forest dwellers from Sukma to Surguja have failed in finding good rates and buyers in the market.

The Raman Singh-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of Chhattisgarh reduced the MSP on many minor forest produce, which has affected the related business which has  a turnover of about Rs 2,000 crore per year.  

According to the new MSP, the rate of lac (ragini) is Rs 130 per kilogram while last year it was Rs 230/kg, the rate of lac (kusumi) is Rs 170/kg, while last year it was Rs 320/kg. Similarly, the rate of tamarind has also been reduced by Rs 2 in comparison with the rates of last year and now the present rate is Rs 18 per kg.  Karanje, a kind of oilseed, has also seen a fall of Rs 2 in its MSP and is now being bought at Rs 18/kg while Chiraunji is being bought by the government at Rs 60/kg. The MSP of Chiranji was Rs 100 per kg last year.

It may also be mentioned that Chhattisgarh has a large chunk of forests and a major population living in these areas depend on the minor forest products to continue their livelihood. According to the state government, there are about 14.1 lakh tribal families which directly or indirectly depend on the forest products.

In 2014-15, the Central government paid Rs Rs 80.16 crore to the government of Chhattisgarh state minor forest produce union in the financial, but the amount was reduced to Rs 73.5 crore the very next financial year. After that, the Centre completely stopped supporting MSP on minor forest produce.

According to Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan’s convenor Alok Shukla, the policy of the government to reduce the MSP on minor forest produce has taken a toll on the lives of the people who live in forests and depend upon these products to survive.

“Thousands of people (tribal) from Chhattisgarh have changed their professions in the many last few years owing to the apathy of government.  No one is really paying heed to tribals’ woes. Everyday hundreds of youths from forests migrate in search of employment. This is wrong. The day is not far when tribes will become extinct,” adds Shukla .

If the government is facing losses by supporting MSP, it should at least create an equal number of jobs for tribal youth, he says, adding that there are neither jobs in this state nor is the government doing anything to support MSP on forest produce.

“People will turn to other profession and migrate from their villages in search of alternatives. There are many tribes in Chhattisgarh who have totally moved out of forests and are now city dwellers,” says Shukla.

Ramu Paikra, another activist from the Surguja division, says the government boasts a lot about its policies for tribal but the reality is that nothing has been done on the ground.   “There is a difference between saying and doing. Tribes like Pahadi Korba, Abujhmadi and others, who should have been preserved, are moving out and soon they all will be in the cities. Not giving the actual price of their produce is like snatching their right to live and this is not at all right,” Paikra says.

A bonus is given by the government but everyone knows that it never reaches the tribals, who have started believing that bonus is meant only for government employees, he says.

MSP UNDER BJP RULE: GONE WITH THE WIND

MFP purchased under MSP scheme Year 2017-18

MFP purchased under MSP scheme Year 2018-19 (As on 30.09.2018)

For the year 2018-19, the collection of Sal Seed, Chironji Guthli, Mahua Seed, Lac (Kusumi & Rangini) are in progress.