MALKANGIRI : Lack of market for mahua oil, locally called Tola, has left Koya tribals across the district worried.
Mahua plants dot every part of Malkangiri district and from May to June, tribal families get busy separating mahua seed from its skin to extract oil through milling.
Although the oil has a lot of medicinal properties, tribals are forced to sell it at throwaway rates because the state government is yet to provide them market linkage for the product.
Besides, there is no minimum support price (MSP) for the oil.“Extracting oil from Mahua seeds is a labour intensive work.
"However, the money that we get is not incommensurate with the effort that goes into extracting the oil”, said Irme Podiami of Old Chittapari village under Pottrel panchayat limits.
The oil is not just used for cooking but also for body massages.
Additional District Panchayat Officer Shankar Prasad Dash said the panchayat samitis are supposed to fix the MSP for mahua oil in areas under their jurisdiction but in many areas, MSP has not been fixed for the last two years.