Hazaribagh Kendu Leaf Tendu Patta Bidi Rolling

Kendu (tendu, Diospyros melanoxylon) leaf collection is a primary summer livelihood for Hazaribagh's tribal and OBC households who enter forest areas in May-June to harvest the large smooth leaves used for rolling beedis. Jharkhand Nationalised Kendu Leaf Trade cooperative arranges collection in lots and pays tribals a standardised price per hundred bundles collected, preventing exploitation by private contractors. Hazaribagh kendu leaf is bundled, dried, and supplied to beedi manufacturers in Kolkata and Bihar's beedi rolling cooperatives; the seasonal income from kendu collection is the most significant forest cash income for hundreds of thousands of rural families in Hazaribagh's forested talukas.