Dhanbad Mahua Flower Forest Product Tribal

Mahua (Madhuca longifolia) trees growing in the sal forest patches of Dhanbad's non-mining areas are a significant NTFP resource for tribal and OBC households who collect fallen flowers in April before sunrise, dry them in the sun, and use them for fermenting into mahua liquor, making sweets, or selling to NTFP traders. Mahua flowers contain 10 to 15 percent fermentable sugars and tribal households in Dhanbad's rural panchayats consider the right to collect mahua as a customary entitlement that predates forest laws. The Jharkhand government's tribal rights programme has formalised mahua collection rights under Community Forest Resource certificates, providing legal protection for this traditional livelihood alongside the coal economy.