MANGALURU: Here is another basketful of reasons to take pride in the rich biodiversity of Western Ghats.
Centuries after the silk and spice route passed via South India, ‘rattan route’ is connecting north Indian states to Karnataka with a business bond, seemingly as strong as the rattan stems. Grown in the foothills of Western Ghats region, rattan stems are climbing onto the popularity chart across the country. Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir are the two states, which import maximum rattan produce of late.
Once considered a forest leftover product, rattan products now add to the royal look quotient at several luxury hotels and homes. Rattans are mainly used for making furniture and baskets. A few corporate giants in Mumbai and Bengaluru use rattan baskets to pack gifts for clients and staff.
“Special varieties of the climbing palms grown in Puttur, Sullia, Belthangady, Mudigere, Virajpet, Hunsur, Chamarajanagar and parts of Kodagu are considered the best for making baskets and they sell like hot cakes. Handicrafts development corporations of at least three states have recognised rattan stems as the ‘right material’ for fashionable baskets,” says Natarajan, a raw material buyer from Coimbatore.
“Procurers from Mysuru and Bengaluru supply rattan mainly to Uttar Pradesh and Pampore in Jammu and Kashmir. Village Forest Committees (VFCs) in the state have been instructed and trained to produce high quality baskets for high-end consumers. Flower vendors also prefer rattan products,” says Dinesh Pandey, a basket supplier from Lucknow.
The tough product used to grow naturally in Western Ghats earlier, but infrastructural projects like highways, power and railways took a toll on the endemic and wild variety of rattan. Rubber and coffee plantation also started eating into the space. In the past few years, success stories have started tumbling out of the woods in several parts of Karnataka, thanks to the forest department’s encouragement to plant and harvest rattan.
“In Puttur, two plantations have been developed in 90 acres of forest land at Narimogaru and Ariyadka and the result has been overwhelming. VFCs which harvested rattans in pockets of Western Ghats now process them and add value to the lightweight and durable product,” said retired Range Forest officer Krishnappa, who is involved in development of VFCs in these two areas.
Deputy Range Forest officer Narayan says rattan groves in the range add value to the activities of the VFCs. “Soon, stories of commercial successes will be heard all around.”