Tendu patta collection target remains unchanged in Chattisgarh for 2025

The Chhattisgarh government has kept the target of tendu patta collection unchanged for the current season in 2025 after failing to meet the mark last year.

 

Chhattisgarh has set a target to collect 1.672 million standard bags in 2025. This is the same as the collection season 2024.

 

The forest department had last year collected 1.556 million standard bags of tendu patta against the target of 1.672 million standard bags. According to officials, the target for the current collection season remained unchanged as the department failed to meet the target.

 

In Chhattisgarh, the collection season starts from the third week of April to the second week of June. The work of collection of tendu leaves has started rapidly and as of now, 33000 standard bags have been collected mainly in Bastar division. The BJP government, led by Vishnu Deo Sai, has increased the remuneration rate for collection of tendu leaves in the state from ₹4,000 per standard sack to ₹5,500.

 

Over 1.4 million collectors would be the beneficiaries even as the state government would pay ₹920 as remuneration if the target had been achieved.

 

The collection work started in the 902 primary forest produce cooperative societies operating under 31 district forest produce cooperative unions across the state.

 

Of the target fixed, 564,000 bags would be collected in Bastar division. The state government has amended the collection policy in the division, which was once infamous for deadly violence.

 

A senior official said that in the current collection season, the forest department would directly purchase the leaves instead of contractors.

 

In 2004, the state government took a major policy decision and instead of selling godowned leaves, it sold it in advance to the purchaser.

 

However, the collection of leaves and the payment for collection to the pluckers will be done by the primary co-operative society only.

 

The decision to directly purchase tendupatta by the department was aimed to bring transparency in the procurement process, one of the officials added.