CUDDALORE: The manufacturing of cane furniture continues to be the traditional preserve of a handful number of families residing in and around Chidambaram town. This is due to the inherent problems faced by the manufacturers and the dwindling demand for the finished products.

Unlike the steel and plastic furniture industries that enjoy extensive patronage, the cane furniture industry depends on limited clientele who belong to the upper crust of society or nouveau riche.

Cane furniture is viewed mainly as a connoisseur's collections, having intrinsic aesthetic value that could gel with certain kind of architecture and interior decorations.

But doubts persist about the conventional manufacturing techniques and durability. Cane is considered to be a brittle commodity that could not withstand rough handling and when the iron nails start rusting and the bonding strips get snapped, the furniture would look awkward.

It is difficult to mend the furniture to the original shape at affordable cost, because, the technicians are few and placed afar, and therefore, the buyers would be forced to dump it in the attic.

S.M.Abbas and S.Jahir Hussain, who are the third generation manufacturers, told The Hindu that their products were much in demand among the tourists, star hotels and architect-designed houses.

Allaying fears about the durability, they said the cane furniture could last over 20 years, if maintained properly.

New technology was being adopted to replace the iron nails with aluminium nails and coarse bonding strips with polished and flexible strips.

Cane furniture was ideal for summer season: for they would neither retain nor radiate heat as steel and plastic furniture did.

For want of scientifically structured training courses, technicians were hard to come by, and the skills were generally imbibed at the work place. Another problem faced by the manufacturers was non-availability of quality canes at competitive prices, because the trade was in the hands of a few agents in Chennai.

Cane is imported

They used to import cane from Assam and send it by road, and therefore, any hike in petroleum prices would impact the cane furniture prices too. Mr. Abbas said cane furniture was totally a hand-made product, as no machinery was involved, and yet it was classified as luxury goods, and therefore suffered hefty levies.

He said if the trade was to stay afloat and the workforce to get sustained employment, cane manufacturing must be declared as a cottage industry.

The government should arrange for the procurement and sale of canes through cooperative societies, and the banks should extend financial support to the manufacturers on easy terms, Mr. Abbas added.

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