Raw material bank for golden grass artists  

BHUBANESWAR: Aiming at insulating golden grass artisans from middlemen as far as procurement of raw materials is concerned, the Handicrafts department is setting up a raw material bank for them in Kendrapara district. The primarily women-led craft is practised in 16 districts of Odisha but a maximum of 3,000 artisans are found in  Kendrapara district. Irregular supply of good quality raw materials has remained one of the problem areas for them.

Officials in the department said the raw material bank is being developed at Jajang, around 4 km from district  headquarters, and will be ready by next month. The bank will be primarily cluster-oriented and cater to all the  interested artisans in a cluster.

Golden grass, locally known as Kaincha, is harvested once a year immediately after the rainy season. Due to the harvesting pattern, proper storage and quality parameters need to be maintained to ensure the availability of the grass for an entire year. However, currently, the grass is stored in individual artisan homes which needs proper preservation and quality techniques. Besides, a fragmented supply chain is a primary problem faced by the artisans.

“Further, standardisation plays a key role in the quality of the final product made. Quality parameters have to be maintained from the start of the production value chain to be able to achieve the highest level of output. A raw material bank will give the opportunity to store the raw materials safely and also check the supply in the pre-weaving stage. Gradation as per girth, colour, age of the grass can also be maintained. Products made using graded grass will have a better finish and higher quality,” said Deputy Director Sisir Rath who is heading the project. The State government currently has raw material bank for applique craft of Pipli.