Ippapuvvu laddus, a delicacy made from the iron-rich Ippa (Mahua) flower that is part of the traditional tribal diet, is now available throughout the year thanks to Bheem Bhai Tribal Women’s Cooperative Society, Utnoor, Adilabad district. The company plans to expand its production and sell it all over Telangana state.
According to official sources, the company is also looking for franchisees to sell its product. It has already set up dedicated sales points at Indira Mahila Shakti Bazar, Shilparamam, Hyderabad and Balapur, where tribal women manage the sales themselves. About 15 kg is sold in Shilparamam and 25 kg in Balapur a week. The cooperative also sets up a stall at the ITDA campus every Monday during the ‘Praja Darbar’ – a grievance redressal programme.
Speaking to The Hindu, project manager of the NGO — Center for Collective Development (CCD) — Kumra Vittal Rao, who is behind the idea of making Ippapuvvu Laddus and helping the Bheem Bhai Tribal Women’s Cooperative Society, said the company plans to increase its production and is also looking for a franchise model to sell the products.
The Mahua flower can be stored for two years if stored at room temperature with 80% humidity, he said, explaining how they ensure the availability of the seasonal flower that the tribals collect from the forests. “We can prepare laddus throughout the year by storing Mahua flowers, which have a shelf life of about 2 years,” he said.
Aboriginal women collecting Ippa Puvva. (file photo)
Recalling the efforts to promote Ippapuvvu laddu, Mr. Vittal Rao said that in September 2018, an Ippapuvvu Laddu manufacturing unit was set up at Utnoor with an investment of ₹14 crore. Telangana State Scheduled Tribes Cooperative Finance Corporation Limited (TRICOR) contributed 60% subsidy while 30% came from bank loans and 10% from women’s own contributions.
Nutritional guidelines
The laddus are prepared according to the nutritional guidelines set by the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) and combine Ippapuvva with peanuts, sesame seeds, jaggery, cashew nuts, raisins and sunflower oil to ensure rich taste and high nutritional value. All ingredients are sourced from local wholesale markets, boosting the rural economy.
During March every year, around 150 quintals of Ippapuvvu are collected from tribal families across the undivided region of Adilabad, especially from Kumuram Bheem-Asifabad district. Nearly 100 families benefit from this seasonal collection, supported by a storage facility developed by the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Utnoor.
Under the Girijana Poshan Mitra programme, laddus are supplied to 77 tribal residential schools in the Utnoor ITDA region – about 2,300 kilograms per month – at ₹320 per kg. In addition, 900 kilograms per month will be sold in the open market at ₹360 per kilogram.
Ippapuvvu (Mahua) flower.
The cooperative has an annual turnover of ₹1.27 crore, benefiting dozens of tribal families. Minister for Panchayat Raj, Rural Development and Women and Child Protection Danasari Anasuya (Seethakka) appreciated the women for their dedication and entrepreneurial spirit during her visit to Utnoor. Their success was even recognized by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Mann Ki Baat speech as a shining example of women-led economic transformation in tribal areas.
Society for Eradication of Rural Poverty (SERP) CEO and former District Collector of Adilabad Divya Devarajan played a significant role in promoting the production of Ippapuvvu laddu. During her tenure, she initiated this project with tribal women and enabled them to create a valuable product from the Mahua flower.
She said the Mahua tree is considered sacred by the tribal community (Adivasi) who appreciate its nutritious flowers and versatile seeds. “Mahua flowers are a rich source of nutrition and are used to make oil, which is used for cooking, skin and hair care and lighting lamps. Adivasis traditionally consume Mahua flowers, but they are scarce. To address this, an initiative has been launched to create a profitable business using Mahua flowers,” she said, adding that Baghubai and her team of Adivasi leaders, with the help of V Mahuasi, started producing Adivasi women, V Mahuasi. She is now training other Koya women in Mulugu District to process this abundant Mahua flower, with the goal of economically and nutritionally benefiting thousands of tribes.
Published – 9 Nov 2025 21:01 IST
