Adilabad: Tendu fruits (Thuniki Pandlu), renowned for their sweet taste and medicinal properties, are facing a shortage in the erstwhile Adilabad district due to rampant , despite their traditional abundance in local forests.
Historically classified by the forest department as a minor forest produce, Tendu fruits have been valued not only as a nutritious summer fruit but also for their reputed health benefits. Many rural communities and tribal groups hold the belief that consuming these fruits helps prevent sunstroke, joint pains, and fever. In the local Gondi dialect, the fruit is affectionately known as “Thumri Pande,” symbolising both its cultural significance and medicinal reputation.
Elder Madavi Drupada Bai from Muthnoor in Indravelli mandal shared that Adivasi families still venture into forests to collect Thuniki Pandlu. “In the past, these fruits were plentiful, and families used them not only as a dietary supplement but also as a remedy for joint pain and fever, sometimes even using them in bathing water for therapeutic purposes,” she said. According to Bai, roadside sales of the fruit continue, with prices reported at around Rs 80 per kg or five fruits for Rs 10.
Local vendor Mangam Sangeetha of Umapathikunta village in Utnoor mandal, who sells Tendu fruits on the roadside, highlighted the stark change over the years. “There are very few Thumri Pande trees left in the forests now. We must venture deeper to find them, unlike in the past when they were easily accessible,” she noted. Sangeetha further warned that indiscriminate pruning — done to encourage fresh leaf growth — has severely damaged the Tendu tree population and called for initiatives to plant new trees to maintain ecological balance.
