Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar has said that the Government has taken several steps to strengthen the supply chain and market linkages of tribal cooperatives.
In a written response to an un-starred question in Lok Sabha on Monday, Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar highlighted the role of the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) in promoting marketing of tribal produce and products.
TRIFED, which is a Multi-State Cooperative Society under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, has the primary goal of strengthening the supply chain and providing market linkages for the procurement and sale of these products.
The Ministry provides grant-in-aid to TRIFED for these purposes under the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission (PMJVM) scheme.
Dr. Pawar also mentioned that through the PMJVM scheme, an amount of Rs. 319.65 Crores has been released to the State Governments as revolving funds for the procurement of notified Minor Forest Produce (MFPs).
Additionally, Rs. 89.16 Crores have been disbursed for the development of infrastructure, such as Haat Bazaars and storage go-downs, and Rs. 587.36 Crores have been sanctioned for the establishment of Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs) over the years, she said.
According to the Minister, TRIFED has utilized a part of the grant-in-aid for the procurement of tribal products through both online and offline platforms. As a result of these efforts, the State Governments have procured MFPs worth Rs. 622.18 Crores using the revolving funds provided by the Ministry, in addition to their own contributions.
Moreover, 3958 VDVKs have been established, and they have generated a total sale of Rs. 41.02 Crores. Similarly, TRIFED has also procured tribal products worth Rs. 123.02 Crores and recorded sales of Rs. 172.55 Crores since 2019-20, she added.
