Trailblazers: Pangi women cultivate success from forest riches

Nestled in the remote and picturesque Pangi Valley, where tough terrains bring with the economic challenges as well, a company is emerging as a beacon of women empowerment and sustainable forest-based enterprise.

The Pir Panjal Jungle Producer Company (PPJPC) was formed in 2024 by local women with the help of the Initiative on Forest Economy of the Bharati Institute of Public Policy, to address the lack of fair market access for forest produce. The company has already made a mark with its first major collective sale.

It was Pangi’s first-ever women-led producer company—a transformative step towards a sustainable, inclusive and empowering forest-based economy. Land locked and tribal Pangi Valley is renowned for its rich forest resources, including thangi (hazelnut), gucchi (morel mushrooms), black cumin, chilgoza (pine nuts), wild garlic and many more medicinal herbs. Traditionally, local communities have relied on these forest products for livelihood, but inadequate marketing facilities have often kept them from reaping fair value.

To bridge this gap and empower women economically, women from 19 villages came together to form the Pir Panjal Jungle Producer Company under the Producer Company Act. Currently, the company boasts a membership of 350 women across 19 self-help groups. Under the able leadership of director Jamna Kumari, the organisation has made remarkable progress in a short time.

In a significant achievement, Kumari said, the company facilitated the sale of nearly two quintals of hazelnut to a Hyderabad company in the first year of its inception. This milestone marked the first collective marketing effort by the women and provided them not just economic returns but also the confidence to pursue larger goals.

“This sale is just the beginning and we are working to bring more women into the fold and create sustained livelihood opportunities for them,” she says.

Kumari said the company focuses on the conservation, value addition and sustainable harvesting of forest produce and aims to position Pangi’s natural treasures in wider markets across India.

Beyond economics, this initiative is reshaping the role of women in the region—encouraging leadership, entrepreneurship and collective action, she said. Tucked away in the north-western corner of Himachal Pradesh, Pangi Valley is one of the most remote and breath-taking regions in the Indian Himalayas. The valley remains cut off for several months during the harsh winters due to heavy snowfall posing significant challenges to the locals.

However, this remoteness is also a blessing in disguise, as the valley is rich in biodiversity and is home to several valuable wild herbs and forest produce—resources that hold immense potential for livelihood generation if harnessed sustainably.

Himachal Tribune