In Adilabad, tribals find new sources of income from forests
From harvesting lac on Palash trees to making laddus from Mahua flowers, tribal communities in Adilabad are finding ways to earn more from forest resources they have relied on for generations. Supported by the district administration, the initiatives are helping families diversify their livelihoods while creating opportunities for tribal women to run small enterprises in their villages
In Adilabad district, tribal communities are discovering new sources of income from the forests surrounding their villages. Traditionally relying on farming and forest produce for survival, these families are now exploring innovative ways to diversify their livelihoods.
In Narnoor mandal, a region 330 km from Hyderabad, around 286 families from the Kolam, Gond, and Lambada communities have been earning between ₹3,500 and ₹8,000 each through lac harvesting. Lac is a natural resin produced by insects on certain trees, such as Palash. The Adilabad district administration has supported this lac cultivation programme, which covers 12 villages and 3,760 Palash trees.
Master trainers were brought in from Jharkhand to teach villagers the process of introducing lac-producing insects onto trees, maintaining the crop, and harvesting the resin. Since most participating families lacked prior experience, this training was crucial for their success.
Similarly, in Khairdatwa village, 12 tribal women have formed the Girijan Mahua Laddu Production Unit to process Mahua flowers into laddus. By transforming raw Mahua flowers into finished products, these women can sell their laddus directly, rather than relying solely on the sale of the flowers themselves. The unit received financial assistance worth ₹10.6 lakh under government programmes, which covered machinery and the establishment of the unit.
The Mahua laddus are also being linked to nutrition-related supplies for tribal Ashram schools and Anganwadi centres.
Both the lac harvesting and Mahua laddu production initiatives aim to provide additional income to tribal families while preserving the use of forest resources. The Adilabad district administration is working on expanding lac cultivation to 20 villages and establishing collective marketing arrangements to help families sell their produce. The success of these initiatives will depend on regular production and finding reliable buyers for the finished products.
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