https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Tribes’ Produce Bring Moolah To Munnar’s National Park

The Munnar Forest department has set up a shop in the Eravikulam National Park for selling organic produce of the local tribal population. The shop has been named Eravikulam Organic - The Tribe's Shop,and it sells fully organic food produce, direct from the fields, like butter beans, honey, lemon grass oil, eucalyptus oil, etc. The department helped open this organic outlet so that the tribal people could get a fair price and profit for their goods by direct selling, avoiding middlemen.
Indian Masterminds Stories

A small piquant outlet selling fully organic food products catches the eye of anyone visiting the Eravikulam National Park in Munnar, Kerala, these days. Named Eravikulam Organic, the outlet-in-a-vehicle sells organic produce of tribes, especially from the settlements of Idamalakudy and Koodakkadu areas. The forest department helped open this outlet so that the tribal people could get a fair price and profit for their goods by direct selling and avoiding middlemen.

Indian Masterminds interacted with forest officers, Mr. S V Vinod, DFO and Wildlife Warden, Munnar Wildlife Division, and Range Officer Job J Neriamparambil, regarding this initiative and learnt how they managed to change the lives of the tribal population with this small but thoughtful initiative.

THE ORGANIC SHOP

Talking to Indian Masterminds, Mr. S V Vinod, DFO and Wildlife Warden, Munnar Wildlife Division, said, “Actually, we are fully dedicated to the development of the tribal community. Here, we are aiming at the women who are sitting idle in the tribal colonies. By this initiative, we will be empowering them. Usually, some middlemen purchase all the produce of tribals. But, here, we are trying to avoid these middlemen and give direct benefits to the tribals.”

With no middlemen in the picture, all products will be brought to the outlet by the tribal people themselves and, this way, they will get more percentage and good prices through direct selling. Moreover, it’s beneficial for the visitors to the National Park too, as they are getting an opportunity to purchase the organic products directly from the local tribal producers. With the first outlet already showing positive results, the forest department is now planning to form a proper network and establish more such outlets.

THE IMPLEMENTATION

Before opening the tribal outlet in the Park premises, the forest department had initially started one weekly Thursday market called ‘Chilla’ for the tribal people to sell their produce.

Range Officer Job J Neriamparambil told Indian Masterminds that “this initiative is intended mainly for the upliftment of tribal women and encourage organic produce and give a good market price for them. There is the Muthuvan tribe in Idukki district who are into agricultural activity. They produce butter bean, beans, honey, lemon grass oil,eucalyptus oil,gooseberry, etc. We started the weekly market for them. Middlemen and retail shopkeepers came to this market and the villagers’ goods were auctioned off.”

However, noticing that these people were being exploited by the middlemen, the forest department decided to open an outlet for their produce inside the National Park so that they get good exposure, as tourists from both within and outside the country visit it. “We collect their produce and market them properly in our organic outlet. Since all produce are fully organic, they fly off the shelves fast as gueststo the Park are eager to buy them. So, we are fulfilling two objectives here. We are supplying good quality goods to our guests and the tribal people are making good profits, too.”

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

Mr. Job also informed Indian Masterminds that there are 50 plus watchers from the Muthuvan tribe in the National Park. Earlier, their wives and other ladies of the tribe were sitting idle at home.But,after the forest department’s initiative, they started cultivating vegetables and bring their produce directly to the outlet for sale and earn some extra money for their households. So,in this way, the opening of the organic shop has helped the tribal women to become self-reliant also.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
ministry of rural
Two Women Officers Appointed as Deputy Secretaries in Rural Development Ministry to Boost Policy Reforms-Know more about them
RBI
Govt Clarifies Rs 500 Notes Here to Stay; RBI Focuses on Rs 100 & Rs 200 Availability
ministry of rural development
2013-Batch IPoS Officer Moona Yasmin Appointed as Deputy Secretary in Department of Rural Development
PSU Banks
India Ratings Flags Profit Dip for Banks in FY26 Despite Strong Credit Growth
Kartavya-Bhavan
PM Modi to Inaugurate Kartavya Bhavan, Ushering New Era of Efficient Governance
Chhattisgarh Forest Department
Chhattisgarh: Forest Dept Recommends Approval for Controversial Coal Mining Project in Hasdeo Arand, Over 4.5 Lakh Trees at Risk
ACC-Resized
ACC Approves 33 Technical Members for GST Appellate Tribunal; Senior IRS & IAS Officers Take Key Roles - Details Inside
all-women IFS leadership India
Historic All-Women IFS Leadership Meets Environment Secretary to Chart Future of Forest Protection
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IAS Aditya Singh
How IAS Officer Aditya Singh is Redefining Governance in Madhya Pradesh | Video Interview 
IAS Karn Satyarthi
How IAS Karn Satyarthi Transformed Gumla Through Empathy and Innovation
Ananth Rupanagudi IRAS
IRAS Ananth Rupanagudi’s Take on Corruption, Reform, and Duty
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
BPSC Bihar police
From Lantern Light to Police Uniform: How Praveen Kumar from a Small Bihar Village Cracked BPSC to Become SDPO
From a lantern-lit village in Bihar to becoming an SDPO, Praveen Kumar's journey is a testament to resilience,...
IAS Priyansha Garg
Why Mindset Matters: IAS Priyansha Garg’s Mental Health Mantra for UPSC
After two failed prelims, Priyansha Garg cracked UPSC with AIR 31 in her fourth attempt, proving how...
Ashish Akshat
From Setback to State Topper: How Ashish Akshat Topped JPSC While Working Full-Time
Ashish Akshat from Dhanbad topped JPSC 2023, proving that resilience, discipline, and family support...
Social Media
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve: From India’s First Sanctuary to a Tiger Conservation Success Story | International Tiger Day Special
IAS Supriya Sahu Hails Mudumalai's Role in Tiger Conservation on Tiger Day. Declared in 1940, Now Among...
Mangroves
Mangroves: Nature’s Shield Against Disasters, Says Officer Parveen Kaswan on Mangroves Day - Watch His Post Here
Mangroves, with their dense, interlaced root systems, form a mesh-like structure that serves as a buffer...
Retired IPS Inderjit Singh Sidhu
Purpose Doesn’t Retire: How 88-Year-Old Retired DIG Becomes Chandigarh’s ‘Quiet Warrior’ of Cleanliness
Inderjit Singh Sidhu’s Dawn Patrol Earns Applause, Mahindra’s Praise for a Man Who Chose Action Over...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
ministry of rural
Two Women Officers Appointed as Deputy Secretaries in Rural Development Ministry to Boost Policy Reforms-Know more about them
RBI
Govt Clarifies Rs 500 Notes Here to Stay; RBI Focuses on Rs 100 & Rs 200 Availability
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IAS Aditya Singh
IAS Karn Satyarthi
Ananth Rupanagudi IRAS
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT