Shimla, Oct 11 (IANS): Indian wild hazelnuts, locally called thangi, harvested by self-help group Jarhun Nag Swayam Sahayata Samooh of Chamba in Himachal Pradesh are now reaching consumers through a retail store in Hyderabad.
Indian School of Business (ISB) facilitated this partnership between the SHG and Dry Fruitz Basket under the forest economy initiative.
The global hazelnut market is expected to grow at the fastest growth rate amongst nuts, i.e., of 5.8 per cent, from 2022 to 2028, according to an industry estimate.
Rising awareness about hazelnut's nutritional benefits, higher disposable incomes, and easy availability of the nut in various forms through retailers is driving the demand.
Through this partnership, the Himachal-based women self-help group has extended market access and sells hazelnuts at a better price compared to the price they receive from local traders currently.
The model also propels self-reliance and financial independence amongst the women. In this transaction, Dry Fruitz Basket procured hazelnuts with a 50 per cent advance, incurred the transportation costs and facilitated full price realisation immediately upon receipt of hazelnuts, thereby building trust with the self-help group.
Dry Fruitz Basket has also placed their next order for a higher quantity of hazelnuts and walnuts with two self-help groups.
"Enabling a direct relationship among the local communities and industry and retail creates a win-win for all. The women harvesting the hazelnuts get a higher price for the produce, the retailer can access premium quality wild nuts, and consumers get quality hazelnuts at competitive prices. The community enterprises will be able to not only cater to the domestic market for wild nuts and foods but also expand to export markets, at scale, very soon," said Ashwini Chhatre, Executive Director, Bharti Institute of Public Policy (BIPP), Indian School of Business.
Such partnerships also bring greater transparency to the entire supply chain and ensure sustainable livelihoods for the local communities, he added.
Women collected, shelled, and packed the wild hazelnuts for sale. For packaging, they used pine cones, a natural substitute for bubble wrap and other plastic-based alternatives, to ensure that hazelnuts are safe and undamaged in transit from Himachal to Hyderabad in Telangana.