Why <i>tendu</i> trade hurts
Since 2001, the Chhattisgarh government has allowed private traders to directly purchase tendu leaf from Dantewada district in the state. Reason: collection had been steadily declining due to the influence of Naxalites in this region. Minor forest produce (MFP) is one of the main grounds of the Naxal-government conflict. A former collector of Bastar district, which earlier included Dantewada, describes this conflict: "When they started out, the Naxals were honest and the government machinery corrupt. Their fear made several government officers honest, but the power of the tendu trade corrupted the Naxals.'
Naxals in the region prefer privatisation of the tendu trade. Traders don't mind paying protection money. Threats to officials led to some cases of the government refusing to buy tendu in areas with Naxal presence in the 1990s. This took away an important source of income from the tribals. Public pressure forced Naxals to relent, and the government's MFP Federation again started buying tendu leaves. In recent times, Naxals have come up with another way to hurt the government without hurting the people: they burn down the tendu stock after the government has bought it from the tribals, informs a senior government officer. The government doesn't have a response to this, so it now allows private traders to directly purchase tendu leaves in Dantewada.