Korba Tribal Forest NTFP Chhattisgarh

Korba district in Chhattisgarh, predominantly known for its coal mining industry, also harbours one of the densest concentrations of tribal forest-dwelling communities in central India — Korwa, Gond, and Oraon peoples who maintain a traditional non-timber forest product (NTFP) economy alongside the dominant industrial landscape. The tribal NTFP communities of Korba collect and process a range of forest products: tendu (Diospyros melanoxylon) leaves used for bidis (tobacco cigarette wrappers), mahua flowers (used for country liquor and edible oil), sal seeds (for sal butter used in cosmetics and confectionery), honey from wild rock bee colonies, and medicinal herbs. Tendu leaf collection is the most economically significant NTFP: the Chhattisgarh government's Tendu Patta Sangrahakar Sahakari Samiti manages tendu leaf procurement from tribal collectors at fixed government price, providing income to over 200,000 families in Korba and surrounding districts. Mahua flower collection — during the February to April season — provides supplementary income for tribal households and forms the base of traditional mahua spirit production. The NTFP economy of Korba tribal communities represents a parallel economy within the coal-industrial district, sustaining forest conservation practices alongside resource extraction pressure.