What was the situation in trading tribal products?
The Indian Forest Act of 1927 criminalised the livelihood activities of the tribals and disentitled them to produce which their habitat bestows on them.
Contract trading -But the state claimed ownership and gave the right to procure and sell forest produce to contractors.
Adivasis were bound by the contract to sell only to the contractor, minimum rates for produce were not fixed; the contractor was under no obligation to buy.
Restrictions -When the tribal or Adivasis wanted to take produce from the forest they would have to inform the ranger who would send a guard to the location for physical verification.
On the basis of his report, the district forest officer would issue the permit.
Penalties -Anyone caught moving forest produce without a permit could be jailed for six months.
The “contraband” would be confiscated and the violator would be liable to a penalty equal to 10 times the value of the seized stuff and the vehicle it was being transported in.
The market committee was also under instructions from the forest department to immediately inform it if minor forest produce was detected in the mandis premises.
That the tribals suffered a huge loss of income because of restrictive laws and policies.
What are the recent moves on tribal livelihood?
Many laws on trade and transport of minor forest produce has been eased.
26 items of minor forest produce has been included in the list of commodities that can be bought and sold in regulated mandis.
Transit permits for transporting and trading in them has been abolished.
The Mandi does not allow commission to be charged of the sellers. From buyers, the commission agents can charge 2% of the value as their fee.
Sellers are required to pay an additional mandi tax of 1.6%, the mandi provides meals to farmers at Rs 5.
If farmers, tribal or non-tribal, die of snakebites, or due to accidents while commuting to or from the market, their family is given Rs 2 lakh in compensation.
A new trading yard has been setup, Allotments of new shops have been proposed, 1/5thof these have been reserved for tribal farmers.
What are the outcomes of the move?
Recent moves had helped linking tribals with wholesale market directly.
The government has not only provided the state’s tribal people a source of livelihood but may have also given them a reason to conserve forest resources.
More stuff has started arriving in the markets because transit permits are not needed.
The availability of a trading platform and the resulting competition has resulted in higher prices.
There was also good demand for forest produces, which traders claimed had higher medicinal properties than cultivated ones.
What are the issues need to be addressed?
Incumbent traders want multiple shops for themselves and their kin.
Despite the easing of laws and policies, tribal farmers may not be getting the benefits they should.
There were complaints about police and forest officials insisting on transit permits and extorting money.
Transit permits for minor forest produce have not been entirely done away with, they are still required in non-tribal, sub-plan areas. Awareness among the tribals is also low.
