Promote forest produce processing units in Bastar: Pingua

Central Chronicle News
Raipur, Jul 14: During the review of the Forest Department by Principal Secretary Manoj Pingua, instructions were given to promote forest produce processing units in Bastar. He said that this would provide a good opportunity for the forest dwellers to increase their income as well as employment.
In the meeting held in the meeting room of Forest Circle Office Jagdalpur, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Land Management Sunil Mishra, Chief Executive Officer of Chhattisgarh Tribal Local Health Tradition and Drug Production Board Arun Pandey, Chief Conservator of Forests Mohammad Shahid along with Jagdalpur, Sukma, The Forest Divisional Officer of Dantewada, Bijapur, Kanger Ghati National Park, Indravati Tiger Reserve and Director of Jagdalpur Forest School were present. In the meeting, Pingua stressed on the promotion of forest produce collection as well as its processing to increase the income of local villagers in Bastar.
He said that due to the purchase of forest produce by the government through self-help groups at the minimum support price, traders bought forest produce at a higher price, which has definitely benefited the forest collectors. He said that the state government wants to set up more and more food processing and forest produce processing units in the state. To provide employment opportunities to the local youth, more emphasis should be given on processing of forest produce to provide employment to the collectors as well as the local youth. There is a need to encourage them to open more and more units of forest produce processing through local traders also.
He said that along with PM formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises, Vananchal Udyog can be better utilized in setting up forest produce processing units here.
Along with this, he also reviewed the Public Biodiversity Register, Community Forest Rights Letter, collection and payment of tendu leaves and collection of minor forest produce.