Parliament Question: Procurement and Marketing of Minor Forest Produce

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION No. 99 TO BE ANSWERED ON: 5th FEBRUARY, 2026 Procurement and Marketing of Minor Forest Produce *99. Smt. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra: Will the Minister of TRIBAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has taken any initiatives to improve procurement and marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) and if so, the details thereof; (b) the details of Van Dhan Self Help Groups, Van Dhan Vikas Kendras and Van Dhan Producer Enterprises established, as on 31 January, 2026, State-wise; (c) whether the Government is considering any action plan to address the challenges being faced by the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited (TRIFED), including low demand for its products and if so, the details thereof; (d) the details of Minor Forest Produce and non-Minor Forest Produce procured by TRIFED since 2022 and the Minimum Support Price paid therefor, State-wise; (e) the number of beneficiaries of such procurement and the Minimum Support Price paid since 2022 for Wayanad Lok Sabha Constituency; (f) whether the Government proposes to expand the network of TRIFED retail outlets and if so, the details of such outlets proposed to be established in Kerala including Wayanad Lok Sabha Constituency; and (g) whether the Government is implementing any programmes to support tribal entrepreneurs involved in the collection and marketing of Minor Forest Produce and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS (SHRI JUAL ORAM) (a) to (g): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.Statement referred to in reply to Part (a) to (g) of Lok Sabha Starred Question No.*99 for answer on 05.02.2026 regarding Procurement and Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (a) The Ministry of Tribal Affairs implements Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission (PMJVM) scheme through Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited (TRIFED) for livelihood generation of the tribal beneficiaries across the country. Under the scheme, the Ministry notifies Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Minor Forest Produce (MFPs) and provides revolving funds to State Governments for procurement of MFPs at the notified MSP. The component aims to provide fair prices to the tribal gatherers for their efforts in collection, primary processing, storage, transportation etc. The funds generated from the sale of procured MFPs are deposited back in the revolving funds by the State Governments. Initially starting from 10 MFPs in 2013-14, the list has now expanded to 87 MFPs. The list of 87 MFPs for which the Ministry has notified the MSP is given at Annexure-I. Till date, the Ministry has released an amount of Rs. 319.65 crores to State Governments for MFP procurement at MSP. Additionally, under the PMJVM scheme, financial support is also provided to the State Governments for setting up each Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs) which are primarily clusters of tribal SHGs formed to reap economies of scale through value addition and marketing of MFPs / non-MFPs. Each VDVK consists of around 15 Van Dhan SHGs and have up to 300 members. (b) Since 2019-20, an amount of Rs. 61,212.7 lakhs have been sanctioned for establishment of 4,125 VDVKs associating 12.33 lakh tribal members across the country under the erstwhile scheme of ‘Mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) through “Minimum Support Price (MSP) and Development of Value Chain for MFP’ (till 2021-22) and Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission (PMJVM). Additionally, under the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha AbhiyaN (PM JANMAN) scheme for the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), an amount of Rs. 2,298.05 lakhs have been sanctioned for establishment of 539 VDVKs associating 0.46 Lakh members. State-wise status of PMJVM VDVKs and PM JANMAN VDVKs is given in Annexure-II. (c) The steps being undertaken by TRIFED to address various challenges in the implementation of PMJVM including low demand for its products are as under: i. Timely disposal of procured MFPs: State Implementing Agencies (SIAs) are mandated to dispose of/sell the procured MFPs within six months of procurement, in order to prevent quality deterioration and reduce carrying costs. ii. Value addition and processing: Value addition, branding, and packaging of MFPs are carried out through Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs), thereby enhancing product quality, marketability, and price realization for tribal producers. MFP value additionactivities are actively taking place at most of the operational VDVKs for products such as Mahua (Laddu, Chikki and oil), Tamarind (Cake and Pickle), Harra (Churan and Dry powder), Bamboo (Furniture, Pickle, Wine, Broom, Mug, Cup, ring etc.) iii. Marketing of finished products: The finished value-added products are marketed through TRIFED’s “TRIBES India” outlets and online eCommerce portals such as tribesindia.com, Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), Amazon, Flipkart etc. with a view to expanding market reach and improving demand for tribal products. iv. Capacity Building: TRIFED also undertakes capacity building training of VDVK members for primary processing, value addition, enterprise development etc. (d) The details of state-wise procurement of Minor Forest Produce under is given at Annexure- III. (e) No proposal has been received for Wayanad Lok Sabha Constituency for procurement of MFPs at Minimum Support Price under the PMJVM scheme. (f) As of now there is no proposal to expand the network of TRIFED retail outlets. TRIFED presently operates through its retail chain network of 116 Tribes India outlets across the country, which includes 101 own stores, 09 franchise stores and 06 consignments outlets out of which 5 Tribes India outlets are in the state of Kerala (Ernakulam, Wayanad, Kochi, Cochin, Thiruvanathapuram) including one (01) at Ennuru Heritage Village in Wayanad. (g) Under the PMJVM scheme, financial support is provided to the State Governments for setting up Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs) which are primarily clusters of tribal SHGs formed to reap economies of scale through value addition and marketing of MFPs / non-MFPs. Each VDVK consists of around 15 Van Dhan SHGs and have up to 300 members. Since 2019-20, an amount of Rs. 61,212.7 lakhs have been sanctioned for establishment of 4,125 VDVKs associating 12.33 lakh tribal members across the country under the erstwhile scheme of ‘Mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) through “Minimum Support Price (MSP) and Development of Value Chain for MFP’ (till 2021-22) and Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission (PMJVM). Additionally, under the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha AbhiyaN (PM JANMAN) scheme for the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), an amount of Rs. 2,298.05 lakhs have been sanctioned for establishment of 539 VDVKs associating 0.46 Lakh members. State-wise status of PMJVM VDVKs and PM JANMAN VDVKs is given in Annexure- II.Annexure-I as referred to in reply to part (a) of LSSQ No. *99 for answer on 05.02.2026 regarding Procurement and Marketing of Minor Forest Produce List of MFPs/Items and their MSP rates notified by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs under the scheme MSP For MFPs S. Name of MFPs MSP Notified by Category Applicability No. GoI (in Rs. Per Kg.) F:Forest A:Agriculture P:Processed M:Medicinal H:Horticulture 1 Tamarind (with seeds) 36 F All India (Tamarindus indica) 2 Wild Honey 225 F All India 3 Gum Karaya (Sterculia urenus) 114 F All India 4 Karanj seed (Pongamia pinnata) 22 F All India 5 Sal seed (Shorea robusta) 20 F All India 6 Mahua seed (Madhuca longifolia) 29 F All India 7 Sal leaves (Shorea robusta) 35 F All India 8 Chironji pods with seeds 126 F All India (Buchanania lanzan) 9 Myrobalan (Terminalia chebula) 15 F All India 10 Rangeeni Lac 200 F All India 11 Kusumi Lac 275 F All India 12 Kusum seeds (Schleichera 23 F All India oleosa) 13 Neem seeds (Azadirachta indica) 27 F All India 14 Puwad seeds (Cassia tora) 16 F All India 15 Baheda (Terminalia bellirica) 17 F All India 16 Hill Broom Grass (Thysanolaena 50 F All India maxima) 17 Dry Shikakai Pods (Acacia 50 F All India concinna) 18 Bael pulp (Dried) (Aegle 30 F All India marmelos) 19 Nagarmotha (Cyperus rotundas) 30 F All India 20 Shatavari Roots (Dried) 107 F All India (Asparagus racemosus) 21 Gudmar / Madhunashini 41 F All India (Gymnema sylvestre) 22 Kalmegh (Andrographis 35 F All India paniculata) 23 Tamarind (De-seeded) 63 F All India (Tamarindus indica) 24 Guggul (exudates) 812 F All India25 Mahua Flowers (dried) (Madhuca 30 F All India longifolia) 26 Tejpatta (dried) (Cinnamomum 40 F All India tamala and Cinnamomum sp.) 27 Jamun dried seeds (Syzygium 42 F All India cumini) 28 Dried Amla pulp (deseeded) 52 F All India (Phyllanthus emblica) 29 Marking Nut (Semecarpus 9 F All India anacardium) 30 Soap Nut (dried) (Sapindus 14 F All India emarginatus) 31 Bhava seed/ (Amaltas) (Cassia 13 F All India fistula) 32 Arjuna Bark (Terminalia arjuna) 21 F All India 33 Kokum (Dry) (Garcinia indica) 29 F All India 34 Giloe (Tinospora cordifolia) 40 F All India 35 Kaunch seed (Mucuna pruriens) 21 F All India 36 Chirata (Swertia chirayita) 34 F All India 37 Vaybidding / Vavding (Embelia 94 F All India ribes ) 38 Dhavai phool dried flowers 37 F All India (Woodfordia flobunda) 39 Nux Vomica (Strychnos nux 42 F All India vomica) 40 Ban Tulsi Leaves (dried) 22 F All India (Ocimum tenuiflorum) 41 Kshirni (Hemidesmus indicus) 35 F All India 42 Bakul (dried bark) (Mimusops 46 F All India elengii) 43 Kutaj (dried bark) (Holarrhena 31 F All India pubescens/ H.aniidysenterical) 44 Noni/Aal (dried fruits) (Morinda 17 F All India citrifolia ) 45 Sonapatha/ Syonak pods 21 F All India (Oroxylum indicum ) 46 Chanothi seeds (Abrus 45 F All India precatorius) 47 Kalihari (dried tubers) (Gloriosa 31 F All India superba) 48 Makoi (dried fruits) (Solanum 34 F All India nigrum) 49 Apang plant (Achyranthes 28 F All India aspera)50 Sugandhmantri roots/ tubers 38 F All India (Homalomena aromatica) 51 Van Tulsi seeds 16 F All India 52 Van Jeera 70 F All India 53 Tamarind Seed 11 F All India 54 Bamboo Brooms 60 F All India 55 Dry Anola 60 F All India 56 Kachri Baheda 20 P All India 57 Kachri Harra 23 P All India 58 Seed lac 677 FP All India 59 Beetal nut raw 30 AP N.E.States 60 Beetal nut Dry 200 A P N.E.States 61 Mushroom (Dry) 300 A P N.E.States 62 Black Rice 100 A N.E.States 63 Johar Rice 50 A N.E.States 64 King Chilli 300 A N.E.States 65 Mustard 40 A N.E.States 66 Raw Cashew 450 A N.E.States 67 Cashew Nut 800 A P N.E.States 68 Ginger dry 50 A P N.E.States 69 Perilla 140 A N.E.States 70 Rosella 200 A N.E.States 71 Nutgall 150 A N.E.States 72 Zanthoxylum Dried 200 A N.E.States 73 Jack Fruit Seed 45 A N.E.States 74 Tasar Cocoon (Chrysalis) F/H Jharkhand State Reeling Class Grade– I Rs.3200/thousand (Specification - When Avg. Shell number Weight 1.55 gram & above ) Un-Reeling Grade -I Rs.1500/thousand (Specification- When Avg. Shell number Weight 1.40 gram & above) 75 Cashew Kernel (Anacardium 90 F/P occidentale) All India 76 Elephant Apple dry (Dillenia 120 F/H North Eastern indica) States 77 Bamboo shoot (Phyllostachys 70 F North Eastern edulis) States 78 Malkangni Seed 100 F All India (Celastruspaniculatus wild)79 Mahul Leaves (Bauhinia vahlli) 15 F Odisha, Chhattisgarh Madhya Pradesh West Bengal 80 Nagod (Vitex negundo) 20 F All India 81 Gokhru (Tribulus terrestris) 60 F All India 82 Pipla/ Uchithi (dried berry) (Piper 120 F All India pedicellatum) 83 Gamhar/ Gamari , (dry bark) 20 F North Eastern (Gmelina arborea) States 84 Oroxylum indicum , (dry bark) 40 F North Eastern (Oroxylum indicum States 85 Wild Mushroom dry (Agaricussp) 400 F North Eastern States 86 Shringraj (Eclipta Alba) 18 F /M All India 87 Tree Moss (Bryophytes) 350 F/P Karnataka StateAnnexure-II as referred to in reply to part (b) of LSSQ No. *99 for answer on 05.02.2026 regarding Procurement and Marketing of Minor Forest Produce Status of PMJVM VDVKs S. No. of VDVKs Total No. of Funds Sanctioned State/UT No. sanctioned Beneficiaries (INR Lakhs) 1 Andhra Pradesh 415 123258 6162.9 2 Arunachal Pradesh 106 32897 1590 3 Assam 495 150765 7425 4 Chhattisgarh 139 41700 2085 Dadra Nagar Haveli and 5 1 302 15 Daman and Diu 6 Goa 10 3000 150 7 Gujarat 200 57968 2895.65 8 Himachal Pradesh 4 1110 55.5 9 Jammu & Kashmir 100 29791 1457 10 Jharkhand 146 43701 2174.7 11 Karnataka 140 41748 2087.4 12 Kerala 44 12038 597.25 13 Ladakh 10 3000 150 14 Madhya Pradesh 126 37860 1890 15 Maharashtra 279 83850 4185 16 Manipur 207 62,226 3088.45 17 Meghalaya 169 50835 2534.1 18 Mizoram 286 84268 4211.55 19 Nagaland 347 104068 5203.4 20 Odisha 170 50094 2479.25 21 Rajasthan 505 152362 7513.55 22 Sikkim 80 23801 1169.05 23 Tamil Nadu 8 2400 120 24 Telangana 17 5100 255 25 Tripura 57 16116 776 26 Uttar Pradesh 25 7238 359.55 27 Uttarakhand 12 3605 179.95 28 West Bengal 27 8227 402.45 Total 4125 1233328 61212.7Status of PM-JANMAN VDVKs Sl. No. State / District VDVK Sanctioned Beneficiaries Fund Sanctioned (Rs. in lakhs) 1 A &N 1 56 2.8 2 Andhra Pradesh 73 6,162 307.55 3 Chhattisgarh 16 2395 119.75 4 Gujarat 21 1,050 52.5 5 Jharkhand 35 2,876 143.8 6 Maharashtra 40 3,624 181.2 7 Manipur 2 600 30 8 Telangana 25 1,461 73.05 9 Tripura 30 2,550 127.5 10 Rajasthan 51 8,842 442.1 11 Karnataka 33 1,836 91.8 12 Kerala 7 537 26.85 13 Madhya Pradesh 83 5,091 254.5 14 Odisha 66 5,244 262.95 15 Tamil Nadu 37 2,403 120.15 16 Uttar Pradesh 5 319 15.95 17 Uttarakhand 9 634 31.7 18 West Bengal 5 278 13.9 TOTAL 539 45958 2298.05Annexure-III as referred to in reply to part (d) of LSSQ No. *99 for answer on 05.02.2026 regarding Procurement and Marketing of Minor Forest Produce State-wise status of MFP Procurement since 2022 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 S. Qty. State Qty. in Value (Rs. Qty. in Value (Rs. Value (Rs. No. in MTs In lakhs) MTs In lakhs) In lakhs) MTs 1 Andhra Pradesh 757.6 271.61 573.5 194.38 451.45 170.82 2 Assam 15.49 7.67 117.05 59.94 0 0 3 Chhattisgarh 13864.34 4841.93 23117.09 4373.18 2928.2 1222.1 4 Gujarat 555.99 278.27 43.415 14.27 45.015 12.526 5 Jharkhand 0 0 0 0 0 0 JASCOLAMPF 6 Jharkhand 500.50 181.85 0 0 0 0 JHAMFCOFED 7 Karnataka 77.77 87.81 42.897 78.26 114.82 65.6 8 Kerala 10.21 45.58 26.28 77.37 17.71 59.39 9 Madhya 3530.26 1278.76 83.75 20.16 0 0 Pradesh 10 Maharashtra 48.22 22.73 0 0 0 0 11 Manipur 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 Mizoram 1346.62 228.23 74.55 9.87 300.97 102.51 13 Nagaland 13.65 7.047 49.74 32.94 60.94 33.04 14 Odisha 5946.76 2155.94 27347.69 7567.01 0 0 15 Rajasthan 0.35 0.79 1.04 11.38 1.07 2.41 16 Tamil Nadu 0 17 Tripura 14.14 14.9 0 0 0 0 18 Uttar Pradesh 0 0 0 0 0 0 19 West Bengal 62.88 18.931 0 0 0 0 Grand Total 26744.78 9423.12 51477.00 12438.77 3920.2 1668.4 *****