Bamboo in Orissa: Trade and Livelihood Perspective - Vasundhara

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other areas in search of some other work, and the rest either starved at home or managed
somehow.
Naxalite areas
The untapped potentiality of Malkangiri area is said to be around 80000 SUs. To follow the
procedure used above, this would mean 1142857.1 mandays. However, given the
controversy over this assessment it would be safe for now to consider 25% of this projected
figure.
According to Bakshipatra, the number of cutters in the Malkangiri belt was around 3000-
4000, and in the Gudari belt around 10000(per comm..). That means about 14000 cutters
lost their job so far their own area is concerned. While this assessment is yet to be
confirmed, the unemployment thus generated is claimed to have severely aggravated the
naxalite situation.
Ideally speaking, cutting operations provide employment to the cutters for seven months
i.e., from October to June. However, the operation may be over within a lesser period and
the opportunity reduces accordingly.
On an average, the cutters depended on bamboo cutting operations for six to eight months,
for their livelihood. After June, when the operations were over, they could work as
agricultural labourers for next few months; but bamboo cutting earned them about 60 to
70% of their total annual income. Hence, bamboo cutting was their chief profession. For
people living near the stockyards or godowns, work is often available even after the
operation is over because jobs like re-bundling and truck-loading are available there and
the cutters' family takes its advantage.
This profession had double advantage for them, i.e., cash income and income in kind. The
income in kind was actually a subsidized food supply under the World Food Programme
in the following manner(per working day or food day per person):
Rice-2 kg
Dal-200 grams
Cooking oil-200 grams
One food day means the cutter is eligible to get a supply of one food unit. Total
cost(subsidized) of food units in a working week/month is accordingly deducted from the
cutter's wage.
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