Telangana: Despite price hike, ‘pala’ fruit still sell like hotcake

The 'pala' fruit, popular as pala pandlu, are found only in the dry deciduous forests of Adilabad in the summer

Adilabad: The ‘pala’ fruit, popular as pala pandlu, of the Manilkara Hexandra, an evergreen tree, have become an expensive forest product, courtesy the shrinking population of the tree in the forest areas of the erstwhile Adilabad district. These tiny fruits are now sold at around Rs 500 a kilo.

These yellow fruits are found only in the dry deciduous forests of this region in the summer. Rural folks, dwellers of forest fringe villages and shepherds gather these fruits, risking their lives and facing scorching heat conditions. They spend several hours to collect just two or three kilograms of the fruit, as the number of trees is comparatively low now.

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The collectors then sell the tender fruits on the roads in urban areas. Marakka D, a tribal from Kishtampet village in Chennur mandal mandal said she was able to generate a livelihood by gathering the fruits from April to May. However, the collection was declining among the rural people as the trees were dwindling.

The roadside vendors say the fruits were priced between Rs 400 and Rs 500 per kilogram, owing to the physical labor, risk to their lives and time involved in gathering the fruit. They say they are prone to attacks by wild animals and may fall ill after suffering sunstrokes while collecting the seasonal fruits.

Lovers of the forest product recall that they used to buy the fruit for around Rs 100 per kilogram till a few years ago. Even as the price has gone up, there are still many takers for the fruits considering the taste, nutrients, minerals and health benefits.

Dr E Narasimha Murthy, assistant professor, Department of Botany, Satavahana University in Karimnagar, said the fruits contain calcium, iron, protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Phosphorus. Consumption of these fruits can cure anorexia, bronchitis and colic. The fruit is an appetizer and emollient. It has many health benefits, he informed, adding the plant belongs to the Sapotaceae family.