ANALYTICAL RESEARCH ON PACE AND QUALITY OF GROWTH OF BAMBOO INDUSTRY

A SHORT NOTE ON IDENTIFICATION, DEFINITION AND JUSTIFICATION OF AN IN-DEPTH AND ANALYTICAL RESEARCH ON PACE AND QUALITY OF GROWTH OF BAMBOO INDUSTRY vis-a-vis VARIOUS INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT SERVICES IN THE NORTH EASTERN REGION

By Sanjive Deta Chetri Sharma

(Bambosorus)   

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The Research Problem

PROBLEM SITUATION

Handloom and Handicraft are not only the mirrors of the country’s heritage and culture but also possess vast potential for rural income generation. Yet, the most noticeable characteristic of these two sectors is that they are highly unorganized and informal. Further, the artisans, who have toiled hard to give the country a place in the world map however live in very deplorable socioeconomic conditions.  Most of the national award winning craftsmen whose exquisite crafts have helped India earn a place high amongst those in the world are even barely capable of finding their subsistence.

Against this backdrop, since the last century a good number of support programs and experimental projects have been launched in our country by a host of government, semi-government and non-government agencies (both domestic and international) with a view to upgrading these sectors to commercially viable industries and thereby create rural employment. But even after completion of a decade from the turn of the century general feeling, especially among the artisans themselves, is that even though all the programs and projects undertaken so far by government and various other organizations have, no doubt, brought about many positive changes in these sectors they are still far from creating the desired impact.

Problem Definition

Handloom and Handicrafts have been playing an important role in the economies of the NE states. According to a study sponsored by NEDFi (2002), NE contributes 19.18% of total number of handicrafts units in India, 21.71% in terms of artisans and 79.58% in terms of value of production. Every 14^th person in the NER is dependent on handloom and handicraft products for livelihood. On an average 80% of the total income of those engaged in handloom and handicrafts sector comes from this sector. From another angle, this sector provides more than 90% of livelihood to around 61% of the total artisan households in the region.  Every state in the region has some unique items of production that have been highly appreciated within the country as well as abroad. Handloom and handicrafts products from the NE are supposed to have excellent brand value.

Despite, In Assam, for that matter in the entire north eastern region, the handicraft sector has always been suffering from the above problem situation and it is more pronounced in bamboo sector as this sector accounts for the largest share of the entire handicraft industry in the region.

Handicraft industry of Assam and other north eastern states is still plagued with the conditions identified by the planners of our economy during the early part of the post independent period. Commercial scale of production of handicrafts has not really begun in the region. Just a simple review will reveal that

1.    Factor conditions are not yet upgraded or enriched to the required level

2.    Demand conditions are yet to be met and competitive advantage is never created

3.    Related and supporting industries have never come forward or felt encouraged to produce inputs which are important and cost efficient for innovation and internationalization.

4.    Sectoral strategies and structures have not been geared to face competitiveness.

5.    The artisans are never empowered to deal with the chance events

As a result, the handicraft sector of the region can still be characterized by

·         Old skills and traditional technology

                                                                                                                            

·         High capital output ratio due to inefficiency of production system

·         Weak marketing power of the artisans (both at the selling and buying points) and presence of and dependence on a large number of intermediaries at various levels leading to market depressing producer-end user relationship 

·         Under developed or non-existent linkages

·         Minimum or non usage of new information and knowledge

·         Absence of non-farm policy

·         Poor industrial culture (i.e. product design, quality management, packaging, branding, certification etc.)

·         Inability to withstand competition

·         High dependence on informal financial sector for credit and other financial services

 

The Problem Question and Rationale of the Research

The government and other organizations pride themselves on providing high-quality, need based support services to ameliorate the situation discussed above. Their service programs are meticulously and scientifically designed, programs are both comprehensive and diverse, service providing human resource is well trained, number of support organizations is more than enough and flow of financial resource is well sufficient.

In spite of above the handicraft sector in the north eastern region has not, till today, come out of the nascence and emerged as a full grown and inseparable segment of the industrial scenario. Moreover, the artisans are still reeling under poverty, ill health, illiteracy and ignorance.

So the glaring poser is—What went wrong?!

An array of factors can contribute to the situation; from ill conceived plans, top down, non-participatory and non -holistic approach to detachment with ground realities to not-so-coordinated actions and duplication of support programs to the reasons yet to be discovered.  

The situation certainly demands an in-depth and highly analytical study on the pace and quality of the growth of handicraft industry vis-a-vis available support services in the north eastern region.   

Purpose of the study

·         To carry out a Craft Production Process Documentation

·         To undertake an across-the-board value chain mapping exercise from identification of the actors in the cluster involved in the business of craft production and sales to raw material suppliers, master craftsmen, traders and other intermediaries.

·         To assess the status of factor conditions, demand conditions and competitive advantage of the industry.

·         To gauge the extent of contribution of related and supporting industries towards innovation and internationalization.

·         To review government’s sectoral strategies and structures in view of competitiveness.

·         To undertake a survey of artisans to create demographic profiles of artisans and ancillary workers, including their geographic locations, existing and possible clusters and economic conditions.

·         To critically examine the effectiveness of various support services extended so far by government and other organizations

·         To offer recommendations/suggestions for future roadmap.

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If all stake holders are in agreement with the above discussion a detailed research proposal with special focus on bamboo sector can be prepared and presented for sponsorship.