TRIFED: TRIFED is a strong pillar of development of tribals of India, know its role in tribal development 

TRIFED is a government body which was formed in 1987 under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 1984.

India is the second largest tribal populated country in the world. Here more than 10 crore people come from the tribal community, who are known for their rich culture, art and traditions. But these communities often face economic and social challenges. “TRIFED” (Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India) has been established to overcome these challenges and make the tribals self-reliant.

What is TRIFED? (What is TRIFED?)

TRIFED is a government body which was formed in 1987 under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 1984. Its main objective is to empower the tribal communities of the country economically and socially. TRIFED helps in bringing handicrafts, forest products and agricultural products made by the tribals to the market so that they can get a fair price.

Main Objectives of TRIFED

1. Connecting tribal products to the market: TRIFED helps in selling the products made by the tribals in the national and international market.

2. Training the tribals: TRIFED helps in increasing the earnings of tribal artisans by giving them information about new designs, technology and market.

3. Promoting Self Help Groups (SHG): Tribal women and youth are made financially strong by forming self-help groups.

4. Value addition of forest products: The value of forest products (such as honey, amla, lac, tendu leaves) is increased by processing them in a better way.

5. Digital and rural connectivity: Digital literacy and market access is being increased in villages through programs like “Sankalp se Siddhi”.

Major Schemes of TRIFED

1. Van Dhan Vikas Yojana

This scheme has been started by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. Under this, 50,000 Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVK) are being set up across the country. At these centers, tribal people are trained to collect, process and sell forest products (such as honey, herbs, tendu leaves). This increases their income.

2. Tech For Tribals

The aim of this scheme is to provide technical and vocational training to 5 crore tribal entrepreneurs. Under this, tribal youth are given information about digital marketing, product designing and branding so that they can sell their products online.

3. Minimum Support Price (MSP) Scheme

The government fixes the minimum support price (MSP) for the forest products (Minor Forest Produce – MFP) collected by the tribals. This ensures that the tribals get the right price for their products and they avoid exploitation by middlemen.

4. TRIFOOD Scheme

This scheme is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Food Processing and TRIFED. Under this, products like juice, jam, Chyavanprash are made by processing tribal products (like Amla, Jamun, Mahua). This increases the value of those products and the tribals get more profit.

Success Stories of TRIFED

1. Lac Craft of Jharkhand

The tribals of Jharkhand make beautiful jewelry and decorative items from Lac. TRIFED has increased the income of thousands of tribal artisans by connecting these products to the market.

2. Tendu leaf gatherers from Chhattisgarh

Bidi is made from tendu leaves. TRIFED trained the tribals of Chhattisgarh for tendu leaf collection and linked them directly to the market, which increased their income.

3. Organic Honey from Kerala

The tribals of Wayanad region of Kerala collect honey. TRIFED trained them and taught them to bottle and sell honey, which strengthened their financial condition.

How to join TRIFED? (How to join TRIFED?)

If you are from the tribal community and want to sell your handicrafts or forest products, you can join TRIFED:

Official Website: https://trifed.tribal.gov.in

Helpline Number: 011-23366063

Retail Stores: TRIFED has “Tribes India” stores all over India, where tribal products are sold.

TRIFED has played a big role in economically empowering tribal communities. Through schemes like ‘Sankalp se Siddhi’, tribal youth are now being connected to Digital Marketing and Modern Technologies. If the government and society take these efforts forward together, the future of tribal communities of India will be even brighter.