Palamu Jharkhand Sal Leaf Plate Cooperative

Palamu district in Jharkhand is covered in sal forest from which tribal communities — Pahariya and Oraon — collect sal leaves to produce biodegradable leaf plates and cups. Leaf plates are made by stitching five to seven large sal leaves together using thin bamboo pins, then sun-drying and stacking. Leaf cups are shaped by pressing moist leaves into wooden moulds. Jharkhand cooperative societies under JHARCRAFT and Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society connect tribal leaf-plate makers with institutional buyers — railway catering, pilgrimage sites, and urban eco-conscious restaurants. Sal leaf plate production provides dry-season income when agricultural work slows. Each collector processes several hundred plates per day. GI protection for Jharkhand sal leaf craft is under consideration.