PATHANAMTHITTA: Tribal hamlets of Ranni are famous for turmeric cultivation. The main speciality of this turmeric is that it is organic, pure and available at a cheap rate. In a bid to save tribals from exploitation by the middlemen and provide them with the deserving price for their hard work, the forest department has come forward to market their turmeric.
The project is being executed by Goodrickal range of Ranni forest division of Pathanamthitta under the Van Dhan Yojana of the Union government. The main objective of the programme is livelihood generation for tribal gatherers and transforming them into entrepreneurs.
"A tribal community-owned Van Dhan Vikas Kendra (VDVK) has been set up in Ranni and it has been named Vanika VDVK. As many as 17 self-help groups (SHGs) of tribals have been formed under the Ranni VDVK for value-added products. As many as 315 tribals are members of these SHGs. Each SHG has 10 to 20 members. The forest department is implementing this programme in Ranni with the support of Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited (TRIFED)," said a forest department official.
Turmeric powder is produced by Kiranam SHG of tribals in Ranni. Under this programme, the forest department team with the support of Vana Samrakshana Samithis(VSSs) will collect turmeric from the tribals directly. The tribals will get Rs 130 per kilogram.
The turmeric will be processed and turned into powder in the factory set up by the department at Angamoozhy. Various tasks in the factory are also being done by tribals and others under the supervision of the department. Machines have also been set up for packaging the turmeric powder and the product will hit the market from next week.
These products will be sold in the eco shops of the forest department throughout the state. One packet (100g) of turmeric powder is priced at Rs 30.
Gatherers to entrepreneurs
Executed under the Centre's Van Dhan Yojana, the main objective of the programme is livelihood-generation for tribal gatherers, transforming them into entrepreneurs.