Mahua trees: A major hurdle for effective implementation of MGNREGA

Mahua trees: A major hurdle for effective implementation of MGNREGA

May 4, 2010

Summer in Dantewada is synonymous with the blooming of the mahua tree. As a result, the indigenous population in the area will talk, eat, drink and dream mahua and not concentrate on anything else! A popular saying among the people of the region goes like this:

” Heaven is a forest of miles and miles of mahua trees. And hell is a forest of miles and miles of mahua trees with a forest guard.”

As you enter Dantewada on National Highway 43 in March-April, you are welcomed by mahua trees in full bloom. Look a little closer and you can see a flurry of activity around the trees. Entire families, from the oldest person to the youngest child, will be gathering the light yellow blossoms. After the flowers are collected, they are dried for two or three days before being distilled into liquor. Each family will be given trees in a 2-3 hectare area on contract. Self-proclaimed leaders of the community claim possession of the trees alongside the highways.

Soar, who lives in Dantewada’s Geedam block, says that each family can earn Rs300-400 daily by collecting the flowers. He said 1kg of mahua flowers produces up to 350 ml of liquor.

But while the locals love the season, which will be followed by the trees fruiting in June (the fruits can also be distilled into liquor), MGNREGS fieldworkers find it a difficult time.  ”It is very difficult to get people for work in this season. In the morning, they will go off to collect flowers and in the afternoon, the elders, including women, will drink mahua and sleep”,  said Vijay Aryan Tiwari, Dantewada’s block development officer. “We keep telling them that while two of the family members can go for flower picking, others should come for work. But they will not listen”.

While government officials and activists fret over the indigenous people’s lack of interest in MGNREGS work, the locals say they do not bother much about tomorrow. When asked what work she did during the day, a woman named Manji in Jangla relief camp replied: “I had mahua, I enjoyed it.”

Fieldworkers say the scheme has only served to fuel alcohol consumption.  They use the money (Rs100 per day) to buy liquor”, said one fieldworker.

Aside: Maharashtra tribal development minister Babanrao Pachpute seems to have fully understood the love for mahua. He came up with the idea of helping them manufacture “herbal liquor” from the mahua flower as a source of livelihood.