Tamarind Production

High Tamarind producing states are Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamilnadu, Maharastra, Odisha, and Jharkhand. Tamarind consumption has several nutritive values like- improvement of digestion, control of diabetes because of high iron content, etc.

In Jharkhand, the tribal usually produce and collect tamarind, by planting it close to house or collecting from the neighbourhood or from the jungle. Tamarind is a forest produce and an import source of livelihood. But still there has not been any significant effort to regularise the price and hence the earnings are low.

Objectives:

At village level the traders sell tamarind as raw material. They earn Rs1-2 as commission on this. At district and state level, the traders have the facility of storing this raw material and hence they are able to trade round the year. At village level the Didi’s have been organised into producers groups and by buying and selling they are improving their lives.

By involving Village Service Centre the costs of Tamarind and its seeds is reduced which increase the commission. This way buying and selling is done. At block level local traders have made arrangement for storage and have created favourable services. It is responsibility of the Village Service Centre to establish connection between Producer Company and the buyers.

Producer groups procure tamarind at the village level and the village service centre converts it into tamarind crick. Their prime function is deseeding of tamarind and selling it in the market.

Implementation

Forming a detailed list of buying-selling of tamarind, where the raw crop can be converted into brick for final use.

• Maintaining transparency in record keeping.
• Regularly conducting weekly and monthly meetings of the Producer Company/ Village Service Centre among the selected women and buyers.
• Upkeep of equipment and distribution of work among members of producer groups.
• Timely payments to all.

 Utilisation of Fund

• Start-up Fund or Revolving Fund.
• Producer Group selects 3 members which help it in operating the group. They are appointed as President, Secretary and Accountant. This ensures in getting fund and verification of the same.
• From village organisation one operator, a member who is livelihood co-committee’s member is also selected.

Assistance Fund for Livelihood

• Formation of 3 members committee, which operates and validates Livelihood Assistance Fund.
• Payment of Social Capital: Through social capital , monitoring committee is presented the update on month’s work.
• At block level the Federation Fund is deposited in the bank’s accounts so that payment to social capital.
• Producer group will make payment through cheque to social capital

Work of Village Service Centre

Producer group accumulates raw tamarind and stress it at Village Service Centre. After verifying the stock, the village service centre makes the payment to producer group through cheque or RTG. The producer group in return gives a receiving receipt for validation.

This type of producer groups keeps an account of all persons from whom they accumulate the raw tamarind.

The processing centre in a span of 30 days process 30 tonnes of dried tamarind and manufactures 18 tonnes of seedless-cake.  Nearly 9 tonne of seeds are extracted and 3 tonnes to tamarind fibre.

The producer company coordinates with Village Service Centre to finalise the date of selling of the produce. The buyers credit advance money in 10 days advance notice to the producer groups and the remaining amount it paid once the final product has been accepted by buyers.

The buyers make the payments through cheque or RTGS. The seedless cake fetches twice the price compared to the raw tamarind.

If the cost of raw tamarind is Rs20-25 then the finished cake would cost nearly Rs60 for a kg.

Important Facts

• The producer groups supply the raw tamarind to the village service centres. The segregation of raw materials, quality check etc. is done by the producer groups.
• The village service centre makes the payment to producer groups within 7 days, so that they are able to make payment to people from whom the raw material was accumulated. The whole process is completed in 10 days.
• Village service centre when accumulates tamarind, its validation is done at 4 levels:
• Measurement or result
• Quality
• List of farmers
• payment
• Marketing – Communication with prospective buyers and is established by the producer groups. If there are no producer groups in the village then village service centre takes up this responsibility.
• The cost of seedless cake shall not be less than Rs60., depending on the market price the price shall be determined.
• Any disputes between producer groups, village service centre or at any other level are resolved by Producer Company.

Intervention by LEADS

LEADS intervened to establish 2 Tamarind Processing Plants at Khunti, which have been established with the assistance of JSLPS and JHAMCOFED. Initially only deseeding was going on but lake making cakes has also started.

Airtight packaging is done which makes the produce market ready.

The raw material cost Rs20-30 a kilo but after processing it costs Rs80-100 in Jharkhand and is sold at Rs.150 in other states.

The pulp of tamarind is sold at Rs 50-60 per kg depending on its quality and availability in the market.

The producer groups are earning more than Rs6000 and the producer groups Rs.8-10000.LEADS has been assisting to increase the income of local producer groups.