For generations, tribal communities in Adilabad have depended on forests for food, firewood and their livelihoods. Many families have been cultivating on small patches of land and have been collecting forest produce to support themselves. Now, some are finding new ways to earn from the trees and flowers around their villages, without giving up farming or their traditional occupations.
In Narnoor mandal, about 330 km from Hyderabad, 286 families belonging to the Kolam, Gond and Lambada communities have earned between ₹3,500 and ₹8,000 each by harvesting lac, a natural resin produced by insects on certain trees. In Khairdatwa village, 12 tribal women have come together to make laddus from Mahua flowers collected from the forests.
Both initiatives are being supported by the Adilabad district administration to help tribal families earn additional income using resources available in their villages.
The lac cultivation programme was introduced in 2025-26 across 12 villages in Narnoor mandal, covering 3,760 Palash trees. The process involves introducing lac-producing insects onto suitable trees. The insects secrete a resin that is collected and sold after harvesting. The cultivation does not require trees to be cut down.
“The initiative was introduced in coordination with the Forest Department. It covered 12 villages in Narnoor mandal, where 3,760 Palash trees were brought under scientific lac cultivation,” Adilabad Collector Rajarshi Shah told The Hindu.
Since most of the families had no previous experience in lac cultivation, master trainers were brought from Jharkhand to teach them the process. The villagers were trained in introducing insects onto trees, maintaining the crop and harvesting the resin. Village-level Van Sanrakshan Samitis (VSS), or forest protection committees, were also involved in the programme.
According to officials, all 286 families who participated in the first phase harvested lac and earned between ₹3,500 and ₹8,000 each.
For Pendur Laxman, a tribal farmer from Sungapur village, lac cultivation has become another source of income apart from farming. He earned around ₹27,000 from one cultivation cycle and approximately ₹45,000 over the year from multiple cycles.
“We have always depended on farming for our livelihood. Lac cultivation has now given us an additional source of income without much investment,” he said.
Following the first harvest, the administration is planning to expand lac cultivation to 20 villages, covering 370 tribal families and approximately 6,700 Palash and other suitable trees. A proposal worth ₹40 lakh has been approved under the Aspirational Blocks Programme for the expansion.
Mr. Shah said the administration was also working on collective marketing arrangements to help families sell their produce and reduce cultivation costs wherever natural regeneration of lac insects is possible.
The initiative also caught the attention of NITI Aayog, which shared details of the programme on social media. It described lac cultivation as a low-cost activity that does not require trees to be cut down and said it could help tribal communities earn more from locally available resources.
From Mahua flowers to laddus
In Khairdatwa village, another group is trying to earn more from a forest resource that tribal families have been collecting for generations.
Mahua flowers, which are commonly found in the region, have traditionally been collected for various uses. Now, 12 tribal women associated with self-help groups are processing the flowers into laddus instead of selling them only as raw produce.
The women are part of the Girijan Mahua Laddu Production Unit, which was established with financial assistance from government programmes.
The unit received ₹5 lakh under the Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme of the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission and another ₹5.60 lakh under the Aspirational Blocks Programme for machinery and setting up the unit.
Mr. Shah said the initiative was intended to help tribal women earn more by processing forest produce into finished products. Instead of depending entirely on the sale of raw Mahua flowers, the women can now take part in making and selling the laddus. However, finding buyers remains important for the unit to continue operating. The Mahua laddus are also being linked to nutrition-related supplies for tribal Ashram schools and Anganwadi centres, according to the Collector.
Officials hope the initiative will not only provide income to the women but also encourage them to manage small enterprises in their villages.
While the first lac harvest has brought earnings to participating families, regular production and access to buyers will determine how much they can earn in the coming years. Similarly, the women making Mahua laddus will need regular orders if the unit is to provide a steady income.