Sunrise in Pangi: Women Leading Change through Forest Enterprise

18.12.25

Through our work, we supported the establishment of the Pir Panjal Jungle Producer Company—the first women-owned producer company (PC) in Pangi Valley, formally registered in January 2025. This report captures that journey, from early community engagement to the formal registration of the PC.

Working in a remote, high-altitude Scheduled Area, we engaged closely with women primary collectors to build collective institutional structures for the aggregation and sale of seasonal forest products (SFPs). The report describes how these structures enabled primary processing, shared decision-making, and improved market engagement, while also responding to the region’s logistical and regulatory constraints.

It outlines the steps involved in mobilising producer groups, completing statutory and financial formalities under the Companies Act, 2013, and establishing producer-led governance systems. The report reflects on what worked, the challenges encountered, and the lessons that emerged from building a women-owned, forest-based PC in Pangi Valley.

This report is intended to inform policymakers, practitioners, and development partners interested in strengthening forest-based livelihoods and advancing women-led enterprise models in forested and tribal regions.