The Kendu Leaf Trade: Problems & Prospects in Orissa - Vasundhara

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charming. The brand, which cannot provide this charm, cannot survive in the market. Although several alternatives like the leaves of Bauhinia racemosa and Holarrhena antidysenterica are available as bidi wrapping material(Tewari 1994), kendu leaf has been the only one used commercially on a very extensive scale because of its hygroscopic & pliable nature, characteristic aroma, slow burning capacity, and availability in bulk quantities, etc.(Sarangi quoted in Rath 2004, p.5).Sometimes known as the golden leaf(or silver leaf), its commercial production and marketing is also about 100 years old. 3. KL policy of the government in Orissa: Kendu leaf has played a major role in the Orissa politics since decades, more particularly prior to its nationalization. Most of the KL producing areas in the state belonged to some erstwhile princely states(garjats) of western Orissa, and the feudal rulers earned a lot from their monopoly on this item. After the merger of these states in 1948-49, the Orissa government gradually established its statewide control over KL in phases, but the procurement and trade remained practically under the control of private traders who used to heavily bribe bureaucrats and politicians in power in order to continue this control. This relationship created great controversy, and even forced government(s) to resign. In order to check this kind of political influence, and also to secure the interest of the state as well as its KL pluckers, the Orissa government nationalized kendu leaf in 1973. Since then, the KL wing of the Forest Department is procuring and processing KL whereas OFDC is selling the same. A high level committee known as the Kendu Leaf Coordination Committee (KLCC) decides/approves every year the quantity of KL to be produced, as well as other relevant matters except the purchase price which is decided by the Kendu Leaf Advisory Committee(KLAC 2 ).Usually, the KLCC meets once in a year just before the procurement starts in the field. Unlike in the neighbouring states of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, no share in the net revenue from KL business is ploughed back directly to the pluckers in Orissa. Instead, there is a provision for sharing 50% of this revenue with the panchayatiraj institutions(PRIs) in the form of KL grant.90% of the KL grant is disbursed for PRIs in KL growing areas(at the ratio 72:10:8 respectively for Gram panchayats, Panchayat samitis, and Zilla parishad), and 10% is retained by the government in the form of ‘hard cash grant’ for ‘socially relevant purposes and other activities’ which in actual practice rarely has any relation with the KL growing areas or the welfare of the KL pluckers. Delayed payment had been a major issue for the pluckers for many years, but recently this matter has been solved. Irregularities in bush cutting operations, and closure of phadis in some areas are among the current issues. 2 Chaired by the Minister of Forest, this committee has four representatives from the growers’ side. 9
4.Livelihood dependency of KL pluckers and bidi-makers in the state: As per the KL wing of the Forest Department, there are about 8,64,183 plucker’s card holders in the state(2005), and since they are known to be assisted in the field by one or more members of the family, the actual number of KL puckers are supposed to be much more. And one can easily see that considering atleast an equal number of dependents (even if partial), it is a question of the livelihood of more than 17 lakh people of the state. While the KL pluckers generally belong to the marginalized sections, most of them are women and adolescent girls. The contribution of KL to their family income varies according to various factors like the number of family members involved in the collection, etc.; but it has been found that normally this contribution is about 13-20 % of the total annual income of the family. Thus, needless to say, there is a critical dependency of these people on KL collection. It may be mentioned here that kendu leaf collection is the only major item among the non-timber forest products collected state-wide during its season. Coming to the bidi rollers, the numbers vary according to various estimates. One such estimate suggested this number to be more than 7 lakhs(quoted in Rath 2004, p.34). Bidi rolling is an unhealthy job because of the rollers’ day-to-day exposure to tobacco. People in this profession have been found to have respiratory problems and other health troubles. Still they have been doing it for generations because of their critical dependency on it. And without KL they will not be able to continue this profession. This KL is usually supplied by the employer, but in parts of Angul-Rairakhol belt the KL pluckers themselves work as bidi rollers thus adding value to their collected KL though not adequately paid in practice against this value addition. Women pluckers carrying kendu leaves for disposal 10
Page 1 and 2: The Kendu Leaf Trade: Problems & Pr
Page 3 and 4: A keri of kendu leaves. The colour(
Page 5 and 6: Contents Kendu leaf: an introductio
Page 7 and 8: List of annexure 1. Gradation of Ke
Page 9: The Kendu Leaf Trade: Problems & Pr
Page 13 and 14: The cost of processing is compensat
Page 15 and 16: Chart-1 Forms of tobacco consumptio
Page 17 and 18: manufactured in coastal Orissa . M.
Page 19 and 20: One can further see from the two fo
Page 21 and 22: 7.Implications of the crisis: While
Page 23 and 24: Chart-8 Bidi production by M/S. Cee
Page 25 and 26: Chart-12 Total production of bidi b
Page 27 and 28: production accounts for less than 1
Page 29 and 30: • There is a bumper crop. • The
Page 31 and 32: This is obviously because Orissa ha
Page 33 and 34: The Orissa Kendu Leaves Purchasers
Page 35 and 36: Total export to SL & Pak. and the s
Page 37 and 38: In Kadamdihi phadi under Kadamdihi
Page 39 and 40: manufacturers prefer bundles of les
Page 41 and 42: feeling in bidi smoking. And this h
Page 43 and 44: 9..3..2: Non-smoking utilities: It
Page 45 and 46: increased target for phal productio
Page 47 and 48: of this kind has been done in many
Page 49 and 50: though the intention behind such re
Page 51 and 52: ANNEXURE 50
Page 53 and 54: Year Annexure-2 Production, deliver
Page 55 and 56: Year Annexure-6 Sale value of KL To
Page 57 and 58: Annexure-10 Export of KL by Nationa
Page 59 and 60: Annexure-13 Qualitative production
Page 61 and 62:
concurrent lease has not been grant
Page 63 and 64:
Annexure-19 Media’s concern over
Page 65 and 66:
Annexure-21 Concern over the implic
Page 67 and 68:
Annexure-23 Media concern over the
Page 69 and 70:
Annexure-25 Media concern over the
Page 71 and 72:
(Note: The above matter was publish
Page 73 and 74:
Annexure-27(contd.) Letter of M/S.
Page 75 and 76:
Page 77 and 78:
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The Kendu Leaf Trade: Problems & Prospects in Orissa - Vasundhara

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