New Delhi: In the last five years, goods worth more than Rs 172 crore made by tribals have been sold online and offline platforms, including cosmetics to the clothes made by the tribals of Odisha. Odisha’s products are available in different parts of the country.
Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Renuka Singh Saruta gave this information in a reply in the Lok Sabha.
According to the Minister’s reply, these items are being traded by the TRIFED, an agency of the Union Government. For this, the National Scheduled Tribe Finance Development Corporation is providing financial assistance. From 2019-20 till the end of November this financial year, a total of Rs 172.55 crore was sold. According to this information, there has been a decline in the amount of goods sold during the Corona epidemic. In the year 2019-20, more than Rs 40 crore was sold, but in the eight months of the current financial year, it has not crossed Rs 23 crore. In 2022-23, it was Rs 36.12 crore.
According to the Minister, organic and natural products like Saura paintings, pattachitra, turmeric and shawls made by the Dongria Kondhas are among the tribal products being sold from Odisha. Similarly, there is a demand for organic honey produced with kosa silk from neighbouring Chhattisgarh, while pickles are also being sold from sabaigrass, bamboo products from Jharkhand.
According to the Minister, TRIFED has included about 12 lakh tribals with 3958 Van Dhan Vikas Kendras to improve the economic condition of tribals by selling the prepared items of the tribals. More than Rs 41 crore worth of minor forest produce has been traded through this centre.
TRIFED has also listed 3,069 tribal artists and manufacturers who have been able to sell goods worth over Rs 172 crore in the last five years. So far, loans worth Rs 1,343 crore have been disbursed to tribals through NSTDC, benefiting 2.56 lakh beneficiaries. This loan is being provided through the Tribal Women Empowerment Scheme, Micro Credit Scheme, Tribal Education Loan Scheme etc.
TRIFED has participated in three international exhibitions to facilitate its entry into the overseas market along with the sale of tribal products within the country. The exhibition was held in Italy, Hong Kong and Germany. Trifed plans to set up at 63 high commissioned offices for the sale of indian tribal products in the overseas market, but so far 42 have been set up. Similarly, tribal artists have exported goods worth Rs 23.29 crore to foreign countries in the last five years, the Minister said in her reply.