Minor Forest Produce (MFP)

 

Minor Forest Produce (MFP) means the produce from various forest species in the form of fruits, seeds, leaves, barks, roots, flowers and grasses etc., including entire plant of medicinal herbs/shrubs. The forest of Chhattisgarh are very rich in these MFP. There are many MFP species of commercial importance in the state.

Chhattisgarh State Minor Forest Produce (Trading & Development) Co-operative Federation Ltd., Raipur is the three tier Co-operative organization created with an objective to promote the trade and development of Minor Forest Produce in the interest of MFP gatherers, on co-operative pattern. Main tasks of the Federation are –

 

1. Collection and trade of following Specified MFP
   1. Tendu leaves (Diospyros melanoxylon roxp)
2. Implementation of many Socio-economic Welfare Schemes for the tendu leaves gatherer families like free footwear distribution, Scholarship schemes for education of thier children, Insurance schemes for the members of Tendu leaves gatherers, distribution of profit from the trade of Tendu leaves in the form of differed wages etc.
   
3. To ensure that MFP gatherers should get proper price for their produce, Govt. of India has introduced ''Mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) through Minimum Support Price (MSP) and Development of Value Chain for MFP'' scheme. Under this scheme the MSP for important MFPs have been fixed. In Chhattisgarh Sal Seed (Shorea robusta), Harra (Terminalia bellirica), Gums of Kullu (Stercalia urens), Tamarind (Tamarindus indica), Chironjee Guthli (Buchanania lanzan), Lac (Kusumi, Rangini) (Karria lacca), and Mahua Seed (Madhuca latifolia) are purchase under this scheme.
4. Collection and trade of other non specified Minor Forest Produce including medicinal and aromatic plants with assured market tie up.
   
5. Promotion of Minor Forest Produce based processing units.
6. Conservation, development and sustainable utilization of Minor Forest Produce.
7. Promotions of cultivation of Minor Forest Produce Species including medicinal, aromatic and dye plants.