Government to Launch Mahua-based Alcoholic Drink

The Government of India is set to launch a mahua-based alcoholic beverage in the market for the first time.

About the Mahua Nutribeverage

• The beverage has a high nutritional value and relatively low alcohol content, at 5 per cent.
• It has been developed by IIT-Delhi after two years of research in collaboration with TRIFED (Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India).
• The marketing is being undertaken under the Tribal Affairs Ministry’s Van Dhan Vikas Karyakram.

About the TRIFED

• TRIFED (Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India) was established in
• The basic objective of the TRIFED is to provide good price to the products made or collected from the forest by the tribal peoples.
• It is functioning under the administrative control of Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

Objectives

• To provide a fair price to the ‘Minor Forest Produce (MFP) collected by the tribes and enhance their level of income.
• To ensure sustainable harvesting of ‘Minor Forest Produce (MFP).
• To save the tribes from the exploitation of the business mediators who purchase the products of the tribes at a cheap rate and sell at the higher prices.

About Mahua

• Mahua (Madhuca Indica) is an Indian tropical tree found largely in the central and north Indian plains and forests.
• It is adaptable to arid environments, being a prominent tree in tropical mixed deciduous forests in India in the states of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Gujarat, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
• The mahua flowers are a rich source of sugars and are said to contain vitamins, minerals and calcium.

PAPER-III