Bamboo in Orissa: Trade and Livelihood Perspective - Vasundhara

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All rights reserved by VASUNDHARA(www.vasundharaorissa.org). For any clarification, contact author at sunlit1968@yahoo.co.in end-user is considerable, middlemen do have a scope though in many such cases they do not actually come into the picture due to a number of reasons (like, lack of regular demand, negligible scope of profit-making, etc.). The business is carried out sometimes at the doorstep of the artisan and sometimes in rural haats and/or permanent shops. However, govt agencies like ORMAS and DRDA etc. have facilitated the marketing of both traditional and non-traditional products through exhibitions and trade fairs. In fact, most of the non-traditional items lack a regular demand in the local markets owing to the absence of their role in the traditional socio-cultural practices, and hence exhibitions and trade fairs are the only hope for their marketing. Such sophisticated and delicate artefacts are usually purchased by the elite people more for decoration purposes. It is for this reason that artisans can hardly depend on such products on a regular basis. Supply in lot may involve transportation plus other charges(if any). For instance, for a bundle(contains 12 pieces) of bidi peti transportation(for about 17 km distance from Munder to Sambalpur)) charge is Rs.10 upto the town; then Rs.3 is paid at the check gate, after which Rs.5 is paid to the rickshaw to reach the bidi factory/godown. Some products are exported to other states in various ways(i.e., either directly or through petty traders). For example, winnows produced at Nakuda(Damasahi) near Tato(Karanjia) are transported to Badampahar or Rairangpur where women traders coming from Tata, Chainbasa and Mushabani, etc. purchase the same to sell in their own areas. Transportation charge(upto Badampahar/Rairangpur) for a bundle of 60() winnows is about Rs.15 on an average and each winnow that costs Rs.8 at Nakuda is sold to the women traders @Rs.8.50 to 9. The trade and market scenario curiously varies from area to area and from season to season. For instance, artisans of Gadagopalpur(near Astaranga) are not much hopeful about their business unlike their brethrens of Kendrapati(Kakatpur) which is not far away. Remoteness of the village, product diversity and popularity, skill in trading and limitations of local demand are among the factors responsible for situation like this. Seasonality is also a very important factor. The winnow of Nakuda that has an off-season rate of Rs.5/piece during March-April, sells at Rs.8 during Kalipuja(November i.e. harvesting season). Similarly, tata which can fetch a price of Rs.30 to 60 per piece in the Astaranga area during marriage season, or festivals like kumar purnima or dwitia osha, is difficult to sell at Rs.5 during the off season. The loss during off-seasons is compensated to some extent during periods of good demand. Following table shows the estimated production and sale of bamboo & cane products through registered societies in the state, between 1999-2000 to 2001-02, in lakh rupees: 81
All rights reserved by VASUNDHARA(www.vasundharaorissa.org). For any clarification, contact author at sunlit1968@yahoo.co.in 1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02 12.56(prod.) 15.21(sale) 20.15(prod.) 20.45(sale) 28(prod.) 32.28(sale) (Source: Govt of Orissa: Directorate of Handicrafts and Cottage Industries, Handicrafts and Cottage Industries in Orissa:2003, Table 1.5) Smuggling In 2002 a local newspaper published a report regarding the strategy of bamboo smugglers active in the bamboo forests of Dasapalla area. It said that the smugglers purchased very inferior quality bamboo at a low price from the OFDC depots of Kalahandi, Rayagada and Phulbani areas and then used the permits acquired against the same for smuggling and transporting good quality bamboo from the Dasapalla forests(The Pragatibadi, 5-4-02, p.1). However, smuggling of forest bamboo is not a new thing. Tenants and artisans living near bamboo forests have been used to this practice since long. What is comparatively recent is the large-scale organised smuggling for commercial purpose. Export: British records reveal that bamboo and bamboo mats were 'exported'(not necessarily to foreign countries) from sea-ports of Gangam district during 1830s(Vasundhara, op.cit.,). Although there is no report of bamboo being currently exported from Orissa to foreign countries, the national level statistics available with the Directorate of Commercial Intelligence shows that India has been exporting bamboo to not only Asian countries like Bangladesh and Arab countries, but also to European countries, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, etc.. Marketing of bamboo shoots Marketing of kardi and hendua is confined basically western Orissa. Usually it is a seasonal business because kardi is made during rainy season. However, sale of hendua can last for a longer period. Rural haats are usually the place where people sell karadi and hendua, but petty traders also reportedly purchase at the doorsteps of primary collectors so as to sell the product somewhere else. For instance, women traders of Belpahar area(Jharsuguda district) used to come to villages like Kodbahal(Sundargarh district) once a week to procure this because in their area kardi and hendua are not available in adequate quantities despite having good demand. 82
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Bamboo in Orissa: Trade and Livelihood Perspective - Vasundhara

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