Seasonal Variation in NTFP Cash Income
Contribution
Both biological production of NTFPs and extraction
labor availability vary over the course of the year. For
example, labor constraints reduce the total volume of
NTFPs extracted and sold during planting (summer) and
harvest (December). Therefore, not surprisingly, cash income
from NTFP sales also varies. During spring and
summer, deciduous trees produce flowers, fruits, and seeds,
coinciding with the highest contribution to cash income of
the many seeds, flowers, and fruits extracted from these
forests. These larger levels of cash income provided by
NTFPs during the spring may provide a cushion during the
summer and autumn when agricultural incomes appear
quite low. Products such as mushroom and tamarind are
collected and sold during very short seasons of availability,
whereas other products are available throughout the year.
Figure 1 shows the monthly variation for surveyed villages
in Orissa.