Sambalpur: Poor sale of Mahul flowers, Sales are down by Rs 10 less than last year

Kuchinda: Mahul flowers are in short supply in Sambalpur district. This time around, the damage is more than Rs 10 rupees. On the one hand, while the government calls it the No. 1 state in the country implementing the Poor Welfare Scheme, the Mahul collection policy has a different policy than its neighbors.

During his tenure as Chief Minister, the late Biju Patnaik, in 182, lifted the “Free Trade” by lifting all restrictions on 42 pet products, including mahul flowers. However, the flower was later placed under the Department of Corrections. In neighboring states Chhattisgarh, Bihar, West Bengal and Jharkhand, there is only a GST collection on mahul flowers, while in Odisha there are other tax arrangements. Other states do not have the same restrictions as Odisha, so there is a need to protect it. Mahul collectors have always been harassed by the Department of Corrections for having an affair with the Bhati owner. The Department of Excise issues a license to buy mahul flowers. Each year, the owner of the winery gives his license to the other applicants in April after purchasing his required mahogany flower quota. This year, five people have been licensed in the entire Kuchinda sub-division.

In various places, it costs between Rs 30 and Rs 40 per kg, while in the Kuchinda sub-division it costs only Rs 25/24. Mahul flowers are made only from wine and their alternatives are not used. As a result, the demand for liquor has dropped sharply. Mahul flower collection time has become an alternative income for the evacuation department. Few people are getting their fair share because they are suing by arresting and prosecuting a few people with licenses. Therefore, if the state government only implemented the GST by making the Mahul flower “free trade”, people would be able to get a fair price for it.