117 bidders from across the country participated in the first tender

TNINS 

In the first and second tenders of the Tendupatta collection for the year 2023, 68 per cent of the notified quantity in the state was sold at an average rate of Rs 7,199 per standard bag, totaling to Rs 822 crore. The third cycle of online tenders was invited from January 31 to February 3, 2023, for the advance sale of the notified quantity of Tendu leaves.

According to the information received from the Chhattisgarh State Minor Forest Produce Co-operative Federation Limited, a post-bid sale management software has been developed for further online action after the sale of Tendupatta. Using this software, the buyer appointment order, buyer agreement, and other tasks will be conducted online by the buyers, allowing those from remote areas to complete all necessary work from their location. This year, the Minor Forest Produce Federation will pay special attention to the quality of Tendu leaves before collection, ensuring that collectors can gather high-quality leaves and receive maximum collection remuneration.

It is worth mentioning that the state government has increased the tendu leaf collection rate from Rs 2,500 per standard bag to Rs 4,000 per standard bag since the year 2019. In Chhattisgarh, online tenders were invited for the first cycle of advance sale of 954 lots of 902 primary minor forest produce cooperative societies and the notified quantity of 16.72 lakh standard bags of Tendupatta to be collected in 2023, from December 15, 2022, to December 21, 2022, and for the second cycle from January 10, 2023, to January 13, 2023. Given the high quality of Tendu leaves in the state of Chhattisgarh, 117 bidders from across the country participated in the first tender for the Tendupatta collection year 2023.

Under the chairmanship of Forest Minister Shri Mohammad Akbar, a meeting of the Forest Produce State Trade Inter-Departmental Committee was held on January 3 this year for the first tender and on January 27 for the second tender. The Principal Secretary of the Forest and Climate Change Department Shri Manoj Pingua, and senior officials from the department concerned were present at the meetings.