Blame it on the weather god as even a glass of the alcoholic brew,mahudo,is becoming unaffordable this year. The popular local brew,obtained from the flowers of mahudo (mahuva in Hindi) tree has become expensive as the trees did not flower enough probably because of the heat wave in the state this year. Incidentally,mahudo is the only alcoholic brew that remains outside the ambit of the states prohibition law. The dip in the yield of the desi brew has hit not only the tribals in Gujarat,but also in the neighbouring states of Maharashtra,Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The Gujarat State Forest Development Corporation (GSFDC) storehouses,which brimmed with 22,000 quintals of the mahuva fruits and flowers last year,have a measly storage of 2,000 quintals this year. The price of the local brew has shot up,hitting the tribals budget. The drink is a significant part of the socio-cultural and religious rites of tribals. We will just have to do with the smell of mahudo this time. It has become very expensive and so we will use more jaggery in it. However,marriage ceremonies and other functions will not be same again, said Viresh Rathwa,a Chhota Udepur tribal. Rathwas view is shared by many other tribals living across the eastern belt of Gujarat. GSFDC Managing Director H S Singh said: Mahudo is made from the trees growing in the forests of Chhota Udepur,Panchmahals,Dahod,Narmada and Sabarkantha. With only 25 per cent production of mahuva flowers and fruits,the storage houses are empty and the prices have gone high. Earlier,local traders used to trade mahuva at a throw away price of Rs10 per kilogram,but now it comes at a much higher price. Singh said during the auction held a fortnight ago,the price of the mahuva flower and fruit increased three-fold as compared to last year. He added: Mahuva generally grows in deciduous forests where rainfall is not very high. Chhota Udepur taluka of Vadodara district has the highest number of mahuva trees. But due to the decline in the yield,the godowns are empty even in this area. Singh added: In our recent auction,2,000 quintal mahuva fruits and flowers were sold for Rs 60 lakh. He said there is a huge demand for mahuva from other states and they purchase it during GSFDC auction. Ranjendrasinh Solanki,a councillor of Santrampur municipality,Dahod,said: I own 25-30 mahuva trees. Each of these trees used to produce at least 50 kg of mahuva flowers,but this year,the yield has gone down to 3kg. He further said: We will make the liquor,but it will have more jaggery. This liquor is commonly known as Ras-Kat-Gaud. Besides making liquor from mahuva,tribals also extract oil from the fruit of the tree commonly known as Dod. In addition to using it as animal fodder,tribals also consume it along with milk and apply it on chappatis. Experts view Professor M C Varshneya,Vice Chancellor,Anand Agriculture University (AAU),said,Mahuva flowering has decreased because of rise in the temperature during winters. According to AAU experts,the temperature during winter season has risen in the last 10 years. In 2001,the increase in the maximum temperature was 0.2-05 C and in minimum temperature the rise was 0.5-0.9 C during winters. This year,the temperature rise of 2 to 5 C was recorded during November 2008 to January 2009. Mahuva trees flower during February and fruits come on the trees during April-May.
