BHUBANESWAR: Mohua, a prominent forest produce, is generally known for its usage in manufacturing of traditional liquor. But, it is all set to serve breakfast tables after its transformation into yummy jam and jelly.
Guess who are processing it into jam and jelly? Women members of remote forest villages in Nayagarh district have taken the lead. Hundreds of visitors at the ongoing tribal fair here are halting for a moment in front of the stall selling jam and jelly made of ‘mohua’ and taken note of the product. Mahua’ has been a very popular non-timber forest produce among tribals of Orissa since time immemorial. It is a deciduous tree found both in forest as well as non-forest areas in all parts of the State. In fact it is common throughout central India-Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
“Mohua’ cannot be kept for long duration for which it never fetches its actual value in the market. We made little technological intervention by removing stigma part of ‘mohua’ flower which is causing bitter smell. Then dried ‘mohua’ is altered to paste. After addition of preservatives, the jam and jelly are ready for consumption,”. “Sagadbhanga and Gocchabari are two villages located in the fringe of Baisipalli Wildllife Sanctuary in Nayagarh district where the experiment is carried and 10 kg of dried ‘mahua’ has been processed into delicious ‘mohua’ jam and jelly,” says Sweta Mishra, programme officer of Vasundhara. Now the women groups have come together to form a cooperative called ‘Ma Panthei Mahila Cooperative’ to have collective procurement and trading of the forest produce.
http://www.hindu.com/2010/02/08/stories/2010020855300300.htm
