What is the Kendu Leaf?

 About Kendu leaf:

• Kendu leaf is called the green gold of Odisha. 
• It is a nationalized product like Bamboo and Sal seed.
• It is one of the most important non-wood forest products of Odisha.
• It is also referred to as tendu leaf in some parts of the country and is used to roll tobacco into bidis (local cigarettes).
• Production:
• The states producing kendu leaves in India comprise mainly Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Gujarat, and Maharastra.
• Odisha is the third-largest producer of kendu leaf after Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

 

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Q1) Which are the major non-wood forest products?

The major non-wood forest products of socio-economic importance are leaves, bamboo and canes, gums, resin and oleo-resin, oil-seeds, essential oil including oil yielding grasses, fibers and flosses, grasses than oil yielding grasses, tans and dyes , drugs and species, animal products and edible products, etc.

Source: GST Council rejects Odisha’s demand for tax exemption on kendu leaf