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Bamboo basket makers in Theni hit by poor sale price

K. Raju

TOUGH JOB: Workers weaving bamboo baskets on a roadside in Theni. — Photo: G. Karthikeyan

THENI: Even as the demand for bamboo baskets increases every day, over 100 families engaging in bamboo making have been struggling for a square meal a day, thanks to the acute financial crisis and the poor sale price.

Divided in to several groups, these families have been weaving baskets of various sizes for generations to cater the needs of farmers and cotton mills.

They make `panjaram,' a big size basket used for covering country hens and chickens in farms, medium size basket meant for collecting cotton in mills and the small one for packing tomatoes. Basket makers sell big one for Rs.120, medium size at Rs.55 to Rs.65 and small one between Rs.40 and Rs.50 per piece.

Increase in prices of raw materials, tough labour and low productivity slash their profit margin drastically.

"We find very tough to earn Rs.100 a day. Both husband and wife of a family have to toil from dawn to dusk to make one big basket. If it is a medium or small one can make two or three pieces depends on skill and speed," said D. Thomas, a basket weaver for two decades in Theni.

Basket makers have to shell out Rs.75 per bamboo bundle, with which three medium baskets or two `panjaram could be made. They also use metal sheets to make the basket strong and for long life. The shortage of raw materials had turned the situation worse. Normally, roadside workers buy bamboo from Kerala. "Bamboo is available after rainy season only. Our survival will be difficult during off seasons," craftsmen said.

Marketing is another tough task for them. While middlemen make sizable profit, these poor craftsmen get meagre income.

We cannot revise sale price, because farmers and traders would not pay much for bamboo products, said R. Nagaraj, another basket maker.

They appeal to the Government to arrange financial assistance and for marketing tie up.

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