His Brief The CM gave me a 2-word mantra when I took over this organization which came into being to uplift the tribal community- ‘Branding’ and ‘Marketing.’ He gave me all the freedom to reach these targets. My task is to implement his vision. I studied marketing modules of giants like Wal-Mart & Baba Ramdev and adopted a few strategies. Package perfect I learnt packaging is important. If done in the right way, the wrapper itself catches a number of eyeballs. So, I went for exquisite packaging, embellishing the wrapper with tribal art. This gives us an extra edge of promoting the native art, which has hitherto remained under wraps (pun unintended). Our packages display the tagline- Resources from tribes of Andhra Pradesh. Corporate-style outlets & marketing on wheels are other initiatives I have successfully taken up. I did my bit, by adding cosmetic value to them.
important to ensure that it generates the intended income for them. Missing link Unfortunately, we don’t have an effective mechanism to gauge how far they are utilising the facilities. A project becomes a success only when its economic cycle reaches a break-even point. Heart touching phenomenon I see the two ends of the spectrum & find the contrast stark. The voiceless, shelter-less, nutrition-less, impoverished denizens, dwelling in the remote corners, slog day in and day out to supply the most nutritious forest produce to the urban elite. My heart goes out to those emaciated and impoverished people working in our processing centres.
Unforgettable incident I selected 81 MBA tribal students, and gave them employment after getting them trained through crash courses. Youth power, unless I learnt packaging is important. If done in the right way, the channelized in the right wrapper itself catches a number of eyeballs. So, I went for direction, may exquisite packaging, embellishing the wrapper with tribal art. go astray. Our I learnt packaging is important. If done in the right way, the hamlets are full of unemployed youth. It is necessary to cap their The changes frustration before it brews into an GCC came into existence, setting unhealthy anger. three objectives to help tribals: Market their produce, provide credit facility and take up welfare activities. We have been creating many assets for the past many decades but the data of their success still alludes us. Of course, there is a perceptible improvement in their conditions. But we cannot be complacent about it. There is a lot more to traverse. Most importantly, we need to see if this improvement is sustained. For example, providing them with an asset or a facility doesn’t mean that we have eradicated poverty. It is
The Shaukar system Traditionally, the cultivators get into a pre-crop tie up with the middlemen or shaukars. This results in distress sale. But GCC now gives them 80% advance and buys the crop. Social business GCC has no hardcore commercial objective. We give market support at the risk of loss. For e.g., we bought Gumkari for Rs.108 per kg. But its value dropped in the international market. Yet, we keep up our
commitment, bearing the brunt. Slow progress This can be majorly attributed to the depletion in forest produce which is caused by climatic changes and deforestation. Impact of National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (NREGA) is yet another factor adding to this phenomenon. NREGA aims to enhance livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to every household whose members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. This is weaning the present generation from their traditional vocations. Challenges Dearth of skilled manpower is a major problem. Many of the staff of our grand old organization, are on the verge of retirement. Today’s society is dynamic, and so we need to look at a new direction. We need futuristic, innovative & new thinking. Economy Tribal economy is subsistencebased economy. The consumptionoriented economy simply lacks professionalism. It is a concern. Employment generation We are providing them opportunities at their doorstep by setting up Super Bazaars and petrol bunks. We can proudly claim that we have brought the tribal youth to earn anything between Rs.5000 to Rs.20,000 as per their qualification and caliber. Women power Women take a very proactive role in procuring the produce. We give them training in value addition centres. For example, we have more than ten derivatives like ice-cream, wine, squash and chips from jackfruit, and we train women in processing them at our centres. red | feb-march 2019 | 63