Forest products are a major means of livelihood in tribal culture. There is a need to focus on better marketing, packaging, branding and development of sales centers for these forest products. Mr. Praveer Krishna, Managing Director of TRIFED said these things while addressing a divisional level meeting for forest produce based development in Prerna Sabha Hall of District Office. In this meeting organized under the aegis of TRIFED and Chhattisgarh State Minor Forest Produce Association, Mr. Sanjay Shukla, Managing Director of Chhattisgarh State Minor Forest Produce Association, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Mr. B. Anand Babu, Divisional Commissioner Mr. G.R. Churendra, Chief Conservator of Forests Mohammad Shahid and Abhay Kumar Srivastava, along with Bastar, Kondagaon Collector, Chief Executive Officer, Forest Officer and other officers of the District Panchayats of all the districts were present.
Shri Krishna said that Bastar Division officials have worked with mutual coordination and team spirit for the procurement and processing of forest products. Due to which the forest collectors of the area have got economic benefits. In Bastar division, 32 percent tribals live in these forests to save 44 percent of the forest area, along with the abundance of forest resources, forest produce.
Managing Director Shri Krishna said that in the present time, stressing on making integrated control system connecting the Vandhan Kendra with digital system, said that it is necessary to financially strengthen the Vandhan Samitis also. He also stressed the need to develop industries for infrastructure development and forest produce of forestry centers. Trifed is working to connect the handicrafts and handloom craftsmen who display local artwork of Bastar division to the market. For this, there is a need to identify artisans at the district level, so that craftsmen can be connected to the world-class market. With this, the craftsmen will get economic benefits as well as respect.