Value addition processes and constraints in house hold production of bamboo products

MANAS D. and S.P. SINGH

Department of Agricultural Economics,

College of Agriculture,

G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology,

 Pantnagar – 263 145 (U.S. Nagar, Uttarakhand)

ABSTRACT

Kerala is a major diversity center of bamboo having 25 species spread over 57,000 hectares of area and about three lakh people depend on bamboo for their livelihood. The various value added products in the household production are baskets, winnowers, mats, stool etc. and their weaving is a traditional occupation of certain schedule caste and tribes. The study revealed that from an average sized bamboo culm with an average price of Rs. 100, five large baskets or ten winnowers or one mat or one stool can be made. The net value addition per unit occurred for big baskets, winnower, mats and stool were Rs. 8, 6, 50 and 65 respectively. It was found that the major problem being faced by bamboo weaving families was unavailability of raw material. Unorganized marketing system, high cost of raw material, labour intensiveness, lack of remuneration and low social acceptability were the other important problems. Hence, efforts need to be made for promoting intensive cultivation and application of under utilized and valuable species. Development of an organized market is also very urgent. Technology intervention should be enhanced in value addition processes to make them competitive in the market by improving quality and productivity.