MSP for MFP
MFPs provide essential nutrition to people living in forested areas, and are used for household purposes, thus forming an important part of their non-cash income
Under Forest Rights Act,
2006, "minor forest produce" includes all non-timber forest
produce of plant origin including bamboo, brushwood stumps, cane, tussar, cocoons, honey, wax, lac, tendu
or kendu
leaves, medicinal plants and herbs, roots, tubers and the like.
The Scheduled Tribes and Other
Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, gives the
“right of ownership, access to collect, use and dispose of minor forest produce
which has been traditionally collected within or outside village boundaries”.
The Act was enacted to protect the marginalised socio-economic class of
citizens and balance the right to environment with their right to life and
livelihood. However, several problems abound. The tribal and other local people
dependent on forests still remain underprivileged and poor and are deprived of
fair returns.
To ensure fair returns to forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes
and other traditional forest dwellers and as a solution to problems they were
facing such as the perishable nature of the produce, lack of holding capacity,
lack of marketing infrastructure, exploitation by middlemen, and low government
intervention at the required time, the scheme, “Mechanism for marketing of
Minor Forest Produce(MFP) through Minimum Support Price (MSP) and Development
of Value Chain for MFP” was formulated by the Ministry of Tribal
Affairs as a measure of social safety for MFP gatherers was implemented
in 2013.
The Scheme for MSP for MFP and the development of the value chain was started
by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) in the FY 2013-14 with the objective of providing a fair price to MFP
gatherers, enhancing their income level and ensuring sustainable harvesting of
MFPs. The objective of the MSP for MFP scheme is to establish a framework for
ensuring fair prices for the tribal gatherers, primary processing, storage,
transportation, etc. while ensuring the sustainability of the resource base.