Significance of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) to the Tribal Wealth of Ranchi District, Jharkhand

Abstract

The indicated study scrutinizes the contribution of Non-Timber Forest Products to the tribal wealth residing in the Angara and Namkum block of Ranchi district which was carried out in Jharkhand during 2021-22. By following multistage random sampling techniques 2 blocks were selected namely (Angara and Namkum) and among these blocks 4 villages were selected from each block with each village having 10 interviewees which lead to the collection of necessary data. The information was gathered through structured interviews, local market survey, and non-participant observation, and it was estimated using descriptive statistics such as frequency (f), percentage (%), mean, and range. This study also attempted to capture the Economics of average revenue generated during weekly markets via NTFPs. The crucial findings from the study were; Tribal people dependency on NTFPs for significant employment and income (50% >) via collection of NTFPs, Processing and value- addition. Men played a dominant role in marketing of NTFPs except in the collection of fuelwoods while women were dominant in processing and collection of NTFPs. The overall dependency of the tribals dwelling in the villages on NTFPs remains significantly larger. (60%) followed by daily wages (30%) and minimum in govt. sector work (10%). The marketing pattern of NTFPs in both the blocks was studied along with the sale price of various NTFPs in the local market. There are approximately 18-20 NTFPs which is widely found in the Namkum and Angara block of Ranchi which is marketed and contributes significantly in revenue generation and employment of the villagers.