Golden Grass Raw Material Bank In Odisha

Golden Grass Raw Material Bank In Odisha

Odisha is well-known for a number of crafts and the golden grass craft is one of them. The craft has gained immense popularity in the last few years. With an aim to protect 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 the Kendrapara district. The primarily women-led craft is practised in 16 districts of Odisha but a maximum of 3,000 artisans are found in the Kendrapara district. Irregular supply of good quality raw materials has remained one of the problem areas for them.

Officials of 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 need proper preservation and quality techniques. Besides, a fragmented supply chain is a primary problem faced by the artisans.

“Further, standardization 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, and 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 a raw material bank for the applique craft of Pipli.