Lantana camara, one of the most widely spread invasive plant in Indian forests, has become a source of income for Adivasis in Coimbatore district.
While the Tamil Nadu Forest Department is taking various efforts to contain its spread, Adivasis from some of the settlements in Coimbatore district are doing their bit by removing them from forests and find an income out of it. They collect the plant, dry it, and make bundles of sticks that are used for homam .
“One bundle is sold for ₹3. A sack sold for ₹300 will have 100 bundles of sticks. Mainly women do the work,” says K. Resammal, 65, from Kandivazhi tribal settlement near Anaikatti.
Collecting Lanata camara, locally known as Parali , is one of the sources of income for women like Ms. Resammal as they mainly rear cattle and goats. They collect the invasive plant after leaving the cattle and goats for grazing.
“ Parali was not a common plant during my childhood. The plant spread in the forests and private lands over the years and it is a very common plant now. As animals do not eat it, they grow in abundance. Hardly any plant or grass grow well where there is Parali ,” she says.
P. Ramar from the settlement says that a family makes 15 to 20 sacks of homam sticks in a month. The collection is not done during rainy season as they cannot dry the sticks.
All the seven forest ranges in Coimbatore Forest Division are infested with Lantana camara at varied levels.
According to D. Venkatesh, District Forest Officer, Coimbatore Forest Division, the Forest Department had sent a proposal to the government for the removal of the invasive plant in two forest ranges - Sirumugai and Boluvampatti.
The plan was to set up a facility with drying yard and briquetting machine to make briquettes out of the invasive plant and sell them. This will offer employment opportunity to Adivasis.
Though an order was issued for the sanction of ₹1.24 crore last year, the money was not allotted as the State went through the difficult stage of COVID-19 pandemic.
“Spread of Lantana is one of the reasons behind the shrinking of grazing areas of herbivores like elephant. It is appreciable that Adivasis are doing their bit in reducing the menace of Lantana,” said Mr. Venkatesh.
