TRIFED enters into an MoU with Purty Agrotech of Jharkhand for entrepreneurship development of tribals in pearl farming

New Delhi: Arjun Munda, Hon’ble Minister for Tribal Affairs has been taking various visionary steps towards tribal empowerment and to bring the tribal population towards mainstream empowerment. One such initiative of Shri Arjun Munda in this direction is partnerships of TRIFED with BigBasket and Purty Agrotech for elevating lakhs of tribals from the rural India to a mainstream National level. “Mera Van – Mera Dhan – Mera Udhyam” is a slogan which Shri Munda believes for building Aatmanirbhar Bharat and is committed towards homegrown tribal entrepreneurship and empower them to tap into their true potential, thus contributing to the vision of an Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

TRIFED is continuing to forge partnerships with different organisations to create synergies together, as a part of its ongoing efforts to improve the lives and livelihoods of the tribals and tribal empowerment. In this context, TRIFED has tied up with Big Basket, an established E-grocery platform that will also work for the promotion and sale of the natural Van Dhan products being made available to them from VAN DHAN production units.

TRIFED and Big Basket have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding on 20 September, 2021. The MoU was exchanged between Sh.Seshu Kumar, Chief Merchandising Officer (CMO), BIG BASKET and Shri Pravir Krishna, Managing Director, TRIFED in the august presence of Shri Arjun Munda, Hon’ble Minister for Tribal Affairs and senior officials of both organisations. TRIFED by converging with Big Basket can leverage their infrastructure, expertise and reach in order to make the Organics, Naturals and TRIFOOD Van Dhan products available to a wider clientele across the country. It will also enable Big Basket to enrich its portfolio by inclusion of hand-made authentic forest products sourced by the tribal population. This collaboration will also promote Big Basket’s social cause by means of promoting tribal entrepreneurship and generating livelihood opportunity for the tribals.

E-grocery has been one of the fastest-growing segments in the consumer e-commerce space and its growth is propelled by India’s rising consumption and digital penetration. The current pandemic has further accelerated its adoption as consumers seek the convenience of ordering quality groceries delivered safely at home. BigBasket was founded in 2011 in Bangalore and has expanded its presence to 25+ cities across India since then. In the e-grocery space, BigBasket provides one of the largest assortments (and provides customers the convenience of home deliveries on preferred dates and time slots. It also operates a farm-to-fork supply chain with over 12,000 farmers and several collection centers across India to deliver high-quality fresh fruits and vegetables to its customers. This partnership will give a great opportunity to modern-day consumers who are more aware and particular about their health and lifestyle needs. Healthier alternatives like The potential product categories can be Van Dhan Naturals, Food grains, Oils, Bakery, Beverages, Snacks, Cleaning and Household, Beauty & Hygiene, Gourmet, etc.

Customers can look forward to the multiple offerings through an exclusive range of the TRIFED – TRIBES INDIA – VAN DHAN on BigBasket.com.

As India moves ahead with its strategy for India@75 and focuses on converting development into a mass movement, TRIFED is working with its roots in ground realities and emphasizing the welfare both in design and implementation. With the focus on “Vocal for Local” and building an “Atmanirbhar Bharat”, TRIFED is undertaking several path breaking activities, while re-dedicating its efforts towards tribal empowerment.

Another such collaboration in this direction has been done with M/s Purty Agrotech of Jharkhand. TRIFED has also entered into a MoU with Shri Buddhan Singh Purty of Purty Agrotech. Shri Buddhan Singh Purty, an origin of “Ho tribe” from East Singhbhum district, Jharkhand is a tribal entrepreneur who has a unique business for developing pearl cultivation. In order to promote the art of growing pearls among other tribal entrepreneurs and tap the potential of this market, TRIFED plans to create a market for this unique craft and at the same time assisting Shri Buddhan Singh Purty of Purty Agrotech in developing a more professional and business-oriented enterprise with this collaboration. The two organizations have partnered to work jointly towards the overall upliftment of the tribal community in the following areas:

i.) TRIFED will empanel Purty Agrotec has supplier to TRIBES INDIA and procure pearls which shall be sold through the network of 141 Tribes India outlets and various ecommerce platforms.

ii.) Under the tech for tribal initiatives, Shri Buddhan Singh Purty can be developed as a Master Trainer and transfer of technology and techniques in the form of knowledge sharing with more tribal SHGs in order to promote aqua culture in self-reliant tribal entrepreneurs.
iii.) Purty Agrotech can be further developed into Van Dhan Vikas Kendra Cluster and further value addition and processing leveraging SFURTI scheme of MSME.
iv.) VDVK Clusters engaged in pisciculture where the pond is available can be used for oyster breeding which can be taken up simultaneously as an additional business activity.
v.) Besides, it is planned to develop 25 VDVKCs in Jharkhand where such aquaculture business for pearl farming activities can be carried out.

The breeding of oysters and development of pearls is a sustainable business and can easily be emulated by those tribal gatherers who have access to nearby water body. TRIFED plans to handhold those VDVK Clusters involved in pisciculture by initially identifying them and help them further develop oyster breeding in it.

Speaking about these collaborations, Shri Arjun Munda, Hon’ble Union Minister for Tribal Affairs said “Our Government is focused on promoting tribal entrepreneurship, enhancing inclusive and balanced development of tribals on a whole. These strategic collaborations of TRIFED – TRIBES INDIA will help Van Dhan tribal beneficiaries in remote areas, to overcome challenges restricting their access to domestic and international markets.”

TRIFED, as the nodal agency working for the empowerment of tribals, has been focusing its efforts on finding new ways to improve the lives and the livelihoods of the tribal people. With this objective in mind, TRIFED has now entered into a collaborative project with Big Basket and Purty Agrotech, Jharkhand.

TRIFED has been implementing several noteworthy programmes for the empowerment of the tribals. In particular, several achievements are worth mentioning. Over the past two years, The ‘Mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) through Minimum Support Price (MSP) & Development of Value Chain for MFP’ has impacted the tribal ecosystem in a major way. It has injected Rs 3900 crores into the tribal economy. The Van Dhan tribal start-ups, a component of the same scheme, has emerged as a source of employment generation for tribal gatherers and forest dwellers and the home-bound tribal artisans. In less than two years, 44,157 Van Dhan Self Help Groups (VDSHGs), subsumed into 2696 Van DhanVikas Kendra Clusters (VDVKCs) of 300 forest dwellers each, have been sanctioned by TRIFED out of which 1422 VDVK Clusters are operational. This has secured employment for 8.03 lakh tribal forest gatherers. Under Retail Marketing, a total number of 141 Tribes India Outlets have been opened till date. This has gone up manifold from 43. Over the past few years, in its endeavour to boost and promote tribal products and boost market development, TRIFED has organized thirty-three Aadi Mahotsavs which are an exhibition-cum-sales of tribal handicrafts, involving 5930 artisans, to generate a cash-flow of Rs.244.79 million to their homes.

With the successful implementation of these collaboration, TRIFED hopes to empower the tribal beneficiaries by developing their skills and help in generating income and livelihoods. Through such and other activities, TRIFED is working towards a complete transformation of tribal lives and livelihoods across the country.