The peak production times are from August to March. The income generated by villagers from this activity is sufficient for their normal livelihood. Around 20-30 per cent of the villagers in the wet zone engage in this activity as a source of income. In most of the wet zone forests, kitul products generate over 70 per cent of NWFP income for village communities. Both men and women participate in kitul tapping and processing.
Men tap the inflorescence and collect the sap, while women boil the treacle and produce the jaggery.
Though production is localised, there is a high demand for kitul products all over the country in both rural and urban markets. The marketing structure of kitul has not been studied well. Products are marketed either through middlemen or directly by producers. One of the basic problems in marketing jaggery and treacle is the lack of quality control measures. Kitul toddy marketing has been seriously affected by current legal restrictions.