Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Ltd (TRIFED), under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, has sanctioned the national project on commodity profiling and drawing up of training module for Non-Timber Forest Produces (NTFPs) to the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University here.

The project is expected to assume significance as the Government has indicated that it will fix the minimum support price for the 11 identified NTFPs based on the report and recommendation of this project. The budget outlay is fixed at Rs 25 lakh.

The project is also expected to play a significant role as the sub-group on NTFP of the XII Plan has recommended the formation of a separate board for NTFP and earmarked Rs 4,000 cr for the promotion of such produce.

A TNAU spokesperson said that the project comprised two parts.

The first aims at preparing the commodity profile of the 11 identified NTFPs such as Tendu/Beedi leaf, Bamboos, Mahua flower and leaf, Sal (Shorea Robusta) leaf and seed, Lac, Chironji, Wild Honey, Myrobalan and Tamarind for value-addition and sustainable harvesting practices.

The second part would involve preparation of training modules for all the 11 identified NTFPs. Based on the report findings, the MSP for the identified NTFP will be fixed by the Government, the spokesperson said.

The Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigator of the project are M.K. Shivaa, Professor (Education) and Nodal Officer, TNAU-TRIFED Centre, and K. Kumaran, Professor (Forestry), respectively.

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