Harra tree is valued for its fruit that supplies Myrobolans of commerce. It is a small or medium sized tree found on higher plateaus, in open forests. This species is found throughout mixed deciduous and drier forests and also on revenue wastelands, field bunds, village commons etc.

Availability and Spread

In Chhatisgarh it is found in Durg, Rajnandgaon, Raipur, Bilaspur, Raigarh, and Sarguja districts. Southern tropical moist deciduous forests of Bilaspur division are the most productive regions inside the state.

Production and Pricing

The figure below shows trading of Harra in Mandis of Bastar over last 10 years.

Figure : Trade of Harra in Mandis of Bastar Division (in MT)

Harra tree is valued for its fruit Harra being a nationalised item, the federation prior to the collection season fixes the price. In 2000-01, after observing depressed market conditions of Harra, prices (by MFP Federation) have been fixed below (almost 50%) the prices of previous year. Traders after purchasing Harra from federation grade the same into bal Harra, badi Harra and Harra katcheria whose prices (ex- Ambikapur) this season were Rs 3.50, Rs 10/- and Rs 40/- a kg respectively.

Figure : Trade Channel of Bal Harra

Figure : Trade Channel of Badi Harra

Trade channel of Kacheria is same as that of Bal Harra. The difference is towards the last part of channel as this is usually exported. And in this case the produces go through Delhi. In Delhi, there are commission agents who take care of marketing. The produces are sent through train from Bishrampur, 30 kms from Ambikapur.

However there is no strict adherence to the traditional channel. Sometimes small traders directly sell produces to end-users. At other times, agents of company can come straight away to the district headquarter to supervise collection and processing. The chain gets elongated or shortened depending on convenience and urgency.