Forest department joins the e-commerce bandwagon to market Vanasree products

Wide range of products including forest honey, pepper, turmeric and cardamom made available

Opening up new avenues for forest produces from Kerala, the Forest department has joined the e-commerce bandwagon to market its high-demand Vanasree products.

A wide range of products including forest honey, pepper, turmeric and cardamom, marketed by Vana Samrakshana Samithis and Eco Development Committees, will now be available for buyers across India through the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) platform, a Central government initiative that provides an e-commerce ecosystem for sellers to market their goods.

Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran formally launched the sale of forest products through ONDC and YES Bank at a function held at Muthanga in Wayanad on Sunday. Currently, such value-added forest products are being sold through 72 Vanasree outlets in the state.

The department also conducted its 13th medical camp under the ‘Sneha Hastham’ scheme, envisaged to extend health services in tribal settlements across the state.

The scheme is being organised in association with the Indian Medical Association with support from the Health department and Scheduled Tribes Development department. It had been launched on January 31 with an objective to diagnose medical ailments among tribespeople. Camps have been held in nine districts thus far.

Nearly 450 individuals from 53 tribal communities within the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary took part in the medical camp held at the Government Lower Primary School in Muthanga. Having covered 179 tribal settlements, the department hopes to conduct similar camps for the residents of 300 settlements by the end of the year.

I.C. Balakrishnan, MLA, presided over the programme. Chief Wildlife Warden D. Jayaprasad, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Eco-Development and Tribal Welfare) J. Justin Mohan and Chief Conservator of Forests, Palakkad, Muhammed Shabab, were also present on the occasion.