New Delhi In a move that is expected to benefit millions of people earning their livelihood from the forest, the government has decided to appoint a special commission for fixing minimum support price (MSP) for minor forest produce like bamboo, mahua and tendu leaves.

The commission is expected to be appointed by January 2013 under the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation (Trifed), tribal affairs minister V Kishore Chandra Deo said on Monday. The Planning Commission has already given its approval for setting up such a commission. “There is a procedure for setting up a commission. We have received a go ahead from the Planning Commission and Trifed will be its nodal agency,” Deo said.