Tendu leaves collection rate is now 3 thousand rupees per standard bag

• 29 Apr 2022

Why In News?

On April 27, 2022, the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department issued orders for fixing the tendu leaf collection rate at Rs 3,000 per standard sack for the 2022 storage period for 45 lakh tendu leaf collectors in the state.

Key Point

• It may be recalled that on April 22, 2022, in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the Forest Committees Conference, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had announced to increase the rate of tendu leaf collection.
• The collection rate till 2021 was Rs.2500 per standard sack. A target of 16.29 lakh standard bora has been set this year.
• Pushkar Singh, Managing Director, Madhya Pradesh State Small Forest Produce Association, said that the work of collection of tendu leaves is done by the State Small Forest Produce Association. This collection is done through 60 District Forest Produce Cooperative Unions and 1066 Primary Forest Produce Cooperative Societies in the State.
• At present there are 45 lakh tendu leaf collectors in the state. Of these, more than 50 per cent of the 23 lakh collectors belong to the tribal category. Similarly, 40 per cent are women collectors.
• The increase in the rate of tenduleaf collection this year will result in a collection remuneration of Rs.500 crores to the collectors engaged in the collection work. This will be an additional remuneration of Rs.81 crores as compared to the previous year, which will help in providing additional means of employment in the summer season.
• Managing Director Pushkar Singh said that the amount of dividend is also distributed to the tenduleaf collectors. It has been decided earlier to increase the net dividend from 70 per cent to 75 per cent directly to tendu leaf collectors from this year.