Trifed was created to drive tribal development through marketing support for tribal products. The object was noble and clear, but the strategy to realize that object, remained unclear. Consequently, the organization kept groping for a right course. Three decades passed thus!
Every organization has its own date with destiny! Trifed’s transformation began in 2017 when a new Managing Director, Pravir Krishna, who had earlier earned wide attention for his work as Collector in tribal Bastar, took charge. When this officer of the Indian Administrative Service was posted as MD, he brought in ideas that perhaps sounded too revolutionary in bureaucratic chambers. He faced scepticism at every step. But his never-say-die spirit prevailed over their scepticism.
Five years down the line, the numbers and actions speak for themselves. During this period (2017-2021), two of which were marred by the pandemic, an organization pressed forward and successfully organized thirty-three tribal cultural festivals, with exhibition-cum-sales of tribal handicrafts, involving 5930 artisans, to generate a cash-flow of Rs.208.79 million. During the same period, its showrooms across the country tripled from 43 (that had been set up over a period of thirty years) to 120; sale-proceeds vaulted a whopping 227.11% from Rs.123.2 million to Rs.403.0 million. Procurement of tribal handicrafts rocketed 575.42% from Rs.76.5 million to Rs.516.7 million. Artisan man-days boosted nearly seven-fold from 0.244 million to 1.654 million. The mantra for success was: quality products in a wide range, fair prices, outlet expansion plus e-shopping, and targeted publicity. In FY 2020-21 alone, 1709 products were sourced from tribal artisans.
Having seen first-hand the subtle (but predatory) exploitation of the tribes in Bastar, Pravir Krishna had the benefit of an insider’s perspective in the matter. Trifed, he believed, was the right platform to make a dent. The objective was clear. Yet, to realize it on the ground, the challenges were daunting. Nonetheless, he chose to give it his best.
Tribal handicrafts are loved by many. There is often this talk about sustaining and promoting this dying genre. However, there is hardly any discussion around why it is dying, and where lies the remedy? Pravir Krishna and his committed team, chose to focus on Trifed’s principal objective of bringing home profits to the artisans. He got Trifed to recalibrate its pricing structure to ensure that the artisan received the lion’s share in the sales revenue. This infused fresh enthusiasm in artisans. They began to receive more work-orders and earned better margins.
Team Trifed was aware that Trifed was not meant to grow into a trading house, but as a facilitator and promoter of trade in tribal products.
If Trifed’s performance in the last five years has been spectacular in the field of handicrafts, in the other field of non-timber forest produces (NTFP) it has been nothing short of being revolutionary.
Pravir persuaded the Ministry of Tribal Affairs to re-build the Scheme for Minimum Support Price for Minor Forest Produce & Development of Value Chain. The coverage of the scheme was expanded both in terms of NTFPs and also the States covered. An MOU between Trifed and the States was introduced to lend greater clarity and discipline to the scheme. Pravir and his officers travelled to every State to sensitize leaders and officers regarding the importance of the scheme for their State. The results were there for everyone to see. From just 9 States in 2013, today 28 States are covered; from just ten products in 2013, today nearly eighty seven products are included. The tribal NTFP-gatherers (almost entirely women) have increased tenfold. The mechanism to determine MSP has been rationalized. Procurement has shot up from Rs.30 Cr (2013) to Rs.1843 Cr. The changed strategy has resulted in an estimated aggregate benefit (State procurement + private sector procurement at MSP) of more than Rs.3,841 Cr – a figure that was unimaginable five years ago!
The true achievement of Trifed goes far beyond numbers. It concerns a new perspective on MSP for MFP, enough to make economists sit up and think anew.
Injecting new zeal in Team Trifed is another feather in Pravir’s’s cap which speaks eloquently of his leadership qualities. He shared his vision with his core team and saw that every TRIFED employee down the line felt inspired to chip in. Rewarding high performers and admonishing laggards unequivocally, using tact, keeping communication channels open, roping in consultants and working tirelessly alongside field workers at times. All of this combined to bolster team’s morale and target orientation. The change is visible. You can feel the buzz in the TRIFED teams pan India, working relentlessly to realize the true meaning of the word team- ‘Together Everyone Achieves More’.
Trifed and the tribes seem to be inspiring each other. Seeing the tribes’ new-found enthusiasm for processing of NTFP, Trifed has scaled up the idea under a scheme called Trifood. This relates to establishment of NTFP-based food parks in tribal areas. Two such parks are fast taking shape in Jagdalpur (Chhattisgarh) and Raigad (Maharashtra). These are being set up in collaboration with the Ministry of Food Processing.
The tribes of India are now on a great springboard. Pravir Krishna’s work in Bastar two decades ago, had shown that NTFP can be an amazing driver of tribal development, not only in terms of higher income, but also (maybe more so) in the fields of education, healthcare and holistic development. He has set the ball rolling now at the national level. The ball cannot but roll on.
The story of his passion and toil is being documented in a soon to be published book, ‘Tryst with the Tribes’. It would give us an insight into the dynamics of dreaming and implementing tribal welfare schemes from the heart.
Pravir Krishna and his remarkable team have demonstrated that despite difficult set of circumstances, it can be made to happen.Anil Swarup has served as the head of the Project Monitoring Group, which is currently under the Prime Minister’s Offic. He has also served as Secretary, Ministry of Coal and Secretary, Ministry of School Education.