Lok Sabha Question No. 2145 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-12
Subject: Establishment of VDVKs
Ministry: TRIBAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: Shri Rajesh Verma, Smt. Shambhavi, Dr. Lata Wankhede

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO- 2145

TO BE ANSWERED ON- 12/02/2026

## ESTABLISHMENT OF VDVKs

2145. SMT. SHAMBHAVI: SHRI RAJESH VERMA: DR. LATA WANKHEDE:

Will the Minister of TRIBAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs) established in the tribal areas of Bihar and Madhya Pradesh for value addition to minor forest produce;
- (b) the details of procurement of honey, lac and medicinal plants through these Kendras;
- (c) the status of marketing linkages provided to tribal Self-Help Groups under the Tribes India brand;
- (d) the measures taken to train tribals in scientific harvesting and processing techniques; and
- (e) the success stories of tribal entrepreneurs among the States supported under the Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (TRIBAL AFFAIRS) (SHRI DURGADAS UIKEY)

- (a) & (b): Under the scheme of Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission (PMJVM), 126 Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs) have been sanctioned in the state of Madhya Pradesh who have reported a cumulative sale of Rs. 349 lakhs. While under the scheme of Pradhan Mantri  Janjati  Adivasi  Nyaya  Maha  AbhiyaN  (PM-JANMAN),  83  VDVKs  have  been sanctioned in the state of Madhya Pradesh who have reported a cumulative sale of Rs. 11.78 lakhs. These sale figures are for VDVK products including honey, lac, and medicinal plants as reported by the State. No proposal for establishment of VDVKs has been received from the State Nodal Department / State Implementing Agency of Bihar.

(c): Under the scheme of PMJVM scheme, Tribal Co-Operative Marketing Development Federation  of  India  Limited  (TRIFED) undertakes  marketing development of the tribal products  produced  by  them  which  include  handicraft,  handloom  &  natural  and  food products. The identification and empanelment of tribal artisans and procurement of various tribal products from them are the core activities for generating livelihood opportunities for tribal communities.  The various tribal products are sold through retail network chain of 116  Tribes  India  Outlets,  exhibition  and  e-Commerce  platforms  across  the  country. TRIFED has been also striving to make efforts for accessing the export market for tribal products.

Empanelment  of  Tribal  Artisans/  Suppliers: TRIFED  empanels  tribal  artisans/ suppliers, which comprise individual tribal artisans, tribal SHG groups, reputed NGOs, Govt. agencies etc. working with tribal artisans. 6154 suppliers/producers are empaneled with TRIFED as of 31.10.2025, which are associated with 3,12,167 families. It includes 475 tribal SHGs associated with 9,469 families.

Tribal Artisan Empanelment Melas: TAeMs are  organized  for  identification  of  new artisans and new products at the sourcing level in States/Districts/Villages for expanding the  tribal  supplier  base.  The  details  of  TAeM's  organized  by  TRIFED  during  last  5 financial years are given below:

|   S. No. | Year                    |   TAeM Organised in Nos |
|----------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|        1 | 2020-2021               |                       8 |
|        2 | 2021-2022               |                      23 |
|        3 | 2022-2023               |                       7 |
|        4 | 2023-2024               |                      61 |
|        5 | 2024-2025               |                      18 |
|        6 | 2025-26 Till 31.01.2026 |                      16 |

Sourcing  of  tribal  products: TRIFED  has  been  undertaking  procurement  of  tribal products through its empanelled tribal artisans/suppliers, which comprise individual tribal artisans, SHGs and Govt Organisations/NGOs working with tribal artisans. The details of purchases made by TRIFED during last 5 financial years are given below:

|   Sl. No | Year                    |   Purchase (Rs. In Crore) |
|----------|-------------------------|---------------------------|
|        1 | 2020-2021               |                     16.51 |
|        2 | 2021-2022               |                     29    |
|        3 | 2022-2023               |                     16.08 |
|        4 | 2023-2024               |                     18.04 |
|        5 | 2024-2025               |                     17.55 |
|        6 | 2025-26 Till 25.01.2026 |                     11.96 |

Sale of Tribal Products: TRIFED has been marketing tribal products through its own shops  called  "TRIBES  India,  Franchise  Outlets  and  outlets  of  the  state  emporia  on consignment basis. The details of gross sales made by TRIFED during last 5 years are given below:

|   Sl. | NoYear                 |   Gross Sale (Rs. In Crore) |
|-------|------------------------|-----------------------------|
|     1 | 2020-2021              |                       30.12 |
|     2 | 2021-2022              |                       43.42 |
|     3 | 2022-2023              |                       36.12 |
|     4 | 2023-2024              |                       36.07 |
|     5 | 2024-2025              |                       33.87 |
|     6 | 2025-26Till 25.01.2026 |                       21.35 |

Exhibitions: TRIFED has been organizing events like Aadi Mahotsav, Aadi Bazaar and Aadi Chitra for promotion of tribal products. The details of same for last 2 years is given below:

| Year                    |   No. of Aadi Mahotsav |   No. of Aadi Bazaar |   No. of Aadi Chitra |   No. of Exhibition Participated |
|-------------------------|------------------------|----------------------|----------------------|----------------------------------|
| 2023-24                 |                      4 |                   12 |                    4 |                              176 |
| 2024-25                 |                      5 |                   19 |                    7 |                              199 |
| 2025-26 Till 21.01.2026 |                      0 |                   19 |                    5 |                              338 |

International  Marketing: For  its  brand  promotion  and  market  expansion  globally, TRIFED  has  been  participating  in  various  international  exhibitions.  In  line  with  this objective, TRIFED participated in international exhibitions recently from Nov. 2024 to Feb.  2025  at  Melbourne  Australia,  Frankfurt  Germany  and  Birmingham,  UK,  besides putting up kiosks of tribal products in 8 Indian Embassies abroad. The details of sales made in countries abroad from the year 2021 to 2025 are mentioned as below:

|   Sl. No. | Financial Year   | Country placing order                                                                               |   Value of sales made (in lakhs) | Products ordered                                                                                                                   |
|-----------|------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|         1 | 2021-22          | USA, Chile, Croatia, Philippines, Hungary, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia                             |                            22.36 | Arakku Coffee, Spices, Tea, Honey, Art & Craft, Textile, Painting, Blue Pottery                                                    |
|         2 | 2022-23          | Myanmar                                                                                             |                             2.71 | Gifting products                                                                                                                   |
|         3 | 2024-25          | Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey, Israel, UAE, Qatar, Sri Lanka, UK, Japan, Kazakhastan, Canada, Hungary |                            24.84 | Gifting products, Coffee, Longpi pottery, Paintings, Blue Pottery, Organic products, cane & bamboo, Dokra, Arakku Coffee, Woollens |

| Sales value (in lakh):   | 49.91   | Total   |
|--------------------------|---------|---------|

TRIFED also shipped various tribal product worth Rs. 36.50 lakhs to Indian Embassies abroad to 64 countries under Atma Nirbhar Bharat Mission for display and promotion of various tribal art and craft.

- (d): Under the VDVK initiative, the members are provided with training programmes for primary  processing,  value  addition,  entrepreneurship  awareness  and  entrepreneurship development to make them market ready.
- (e): The  success  stories  of  tribal  entrepreneurs  among  the  States  supported  under  the Pradhan  Mantri  Janjatiya  Vikas  Mission  is  given  at  https://trifed.tribal.gov.in/successstories.

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