“Give money now and get honey later”, says a campaign started by Just Change India Producer Company (JCIPC) and Leap Club in an effort to benefit a group of people who are strapped for resources during the best of times, let alone the lockdown.
The honey in question is kombu thaen — made available in small jars — that is extracted by Kattunayakans, a tribal community from Tamil Nadu.
The campaign expects consumers to make the payment now and expect the honey to be delivered later. The honey priced at ₹550 for 500 grams will be delivered anywhere in India once the situation has normalised. Since the lockdown came into effect, around 2,500 kg of honey has been sold.
Just Change India Producer Company (JCIPC) was started by Adivasi Munnetra Sangam (AMS), a community organisation of over 5,000 adivasi families, along with three other community groups, to help adivasis market the products they have made.
Under AMS, a self-help group called Adivasi Thaen Kootam has been formed to sell their forest honey collectively. They now earn 40% more than the current market rate, says a note on the website.
“Without the sale of the existing honey we could not procure new honey. Besides, the new season will begin next month so a sale is necessary to keep the honey flowing and the business going,” says Stan, one of the founders of Just Change.
Regarding the economic impact on the adivasis if the honey is not procured by the collective, Stan says the adivasis will be forced to sell their honey to local traders who don’t pay them much.
For details, visit https://givenow.leapclub.in/
