Ahead of polls, minor forest produce gets MSP hike

Ahead of polls, minor forest produce gets MSP hike

News:

Centre announces Minimum Support Prices for key Minor Forest Produce (MFP).

Facts:

• Union government announced minimum support prices for 40 minor forest produce (MFPs), including wild honey and tamarind.
• While the floor price of 23 MFPs are revised, 17 forest produce items including Mahua flowers, bay leaves and kokum have been newly added.

What are Minor Forest Produce:

• Minor Forest Produce (MFP) is a subset of forest produce and got a definition only in 2007 when the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, was enacted
• Act defines a Minor Forest Produce (MFP) as all non-timber forest produce of plant origin and includes bamboo, brushwood, stumps, canes, Tusser, cocoon, honey, waxes, Lac, tendu/kendu leaves, medicinal plants and herbs, roots, tuber and the like.
• Thus, the definition of “minor forest produce” includes bamboo and cane, thereby changing the categorization of bamboo and cane as “trees” under the Indian Forest Act 1927.

Minimum Support Price Scheme

• Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India is the Nodal Ministry for implementation of the scheme which will announce Minimum Support Price (MSP) for the selected MFPs with the technical support from TRIFED
• The scheme has been started with the objective of providing fair price to MFP gatherers, enhance their income level and ensure sustainable harvesting of MFPs.
• The Scheme has been implemented in eight States having Schedule areas as listed in the Fifth Schedule of the constitution of India. From November 2016, the scheme is applicable in all States
• Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Ltd. (TRIFED) has been directed to develop market linkage between state agencies (through State Nodal Department) and bulk users and buyers to enable implementation.
• TRIFED has also introduced the MFPnet portal which is designed to act as an adjunct and a catalyst for implementing the scheme of Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Minor Forest Produce (MFP).
• MFPNet portal provides information about TRIFED, MFP trade in India, marketing prospects for MFPs, MFP development training and TRIFED’s retail marketing activities, MSP for MFPs and its current status.