From ban to brand—Changing scenario of Mahua (Madhuca longifolia, Madhuca indica) in India and become the fulcrum for tribal communities

Abstract

Mahua is undergoing a rebranding, but India needs legislation to safeguard tribal rights. Mahua is entwined with the tribal world, yet incorrect colonial ideas about it as a toxic, lowly beverage still plague it. Mahua has a close relationship with Gond, Santhal, Baiga, Munda, Ho, Orao, and all other communities dispersed across at least 12 states. For instance, the social rites of Tonda (birth), Manda (marriage), and Konda (death) for a Gondi Adivasi would end in the absence of mahua. Mahua brewing was merely one more duty in an indigenous family’s home until the late 1800s. The British Raj considered this to be an unexplored source of income. With a series of laws, including the Bombay Abkari Act of 1878, the Mhowra Act of 1878, 1892, the Madhya Pradesh Excise Act of 1915, the Bihar and Orissa Excise Act of 1915, and the Government of India Act of 1935, they outlawed not only the production of mahua but also the gathering and storing of mahua flowers. They considered it a low-quality toxicant and labelled it as a threat to public health and morality. As a result, they could regulate the production of regional spirits and made money from the importation of alcohol from Germany and Britain. Following India’s independence, regulations changed but not entirely. Mahua and tribal people were affected by laws such as the Bombay Mahua Flower Rules of 1950, the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act of 2016, the PESA of 1996, the Forest Right Act of 2006, and total prohibition, which included mahua distillation, which was enforced in Gujarat and Wardha in 1960. The average family in the Indian states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Jharkhand will make 10.5 K, 16.4 K, and 15.75 K ₹ annually. Mahua is included in the minimum Support Price by the Indian government. Mahua has an estimated potential production of 1.5 lakh MTs, valued at 122 ₹ Cr, in India; however, only 1.0 lakh MTs, valued at 81 ₹ Cr, are expected to be collected annually. Though there is a 1.63 lakh job potential, just 28.6 K, or 17.5%, of Indians are employed. Mahua appears to be gradually reclaiming its space after going extinct for decades. The British Raj previously outlawed mahua; today, it is one of India’s most prestigious brands, sold all over the world.