Government to Launch Mahua-based Alcoholic Drink

Key Facts

• The central government is set to launch a mahua-based alcoholic beverage ‘Mahua Nutribeverage’ in the market for the first time.
• The Beverage will come in six fruit-based flavors and will be available at the price of ₹700 for a 750ml bottle.
• This is the first time that the Ministry of Tribal Affairs is getting into bottling and sale of alcoholic beverages.

Key Points

• The beverage has a high nutritional value and relatively low alcohol content (5%).
• It has been developed by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi in collaboration with the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED).
• TRIFED is a national-level apex organization functioning under the administrative control of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
• TRIFED has signed a memorandum with the National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) to undertake the assignment of technology transfer to suitable entrepreneurs for the production and marketing of the beverage.
• The marketing is being undertaken under the Van Dhan Vikas Karyakram.
• It is Tribal Affairs Ministry’s value-addition scheme which was launched in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur in 2018.
• The nation-wide program earmarked ₹500-600 crore for training tribal clusters to add value to their produce and sell it in a packaged format, aiming to increase their income manifold.
• The products marketed under the scheme include only those that need primary-level processing, including handicrafts, textiles, food items, jams and pulps, and jewelry.
• Besides mahua, other tribal staples such as tamarind and amla will be de-seeded and brought to the market in the form of candies and jams.

Mahua

• Its scientific name is Madhuca indica.
• It is a prominent forest tree in tribal areas of Bastar (Chhattisgarh) and plays an important role in the rural economy.
• The mahua flowers are a rich source of sugars and are said to contain vitamins, minerals, and calcium.
• The flowers are fermented and distilled yielding spirituous liquor also known as ‘country beer’.
• An estimated 90% of the annual production of Mahua flower is used in the process of brewing beverages.

Source: Indian Express