BERHAMPUR: After successful bids to attract tribals for scientific cultivation of different crops and fruits such as queen variety pineapple, the Gajapati district administration is all set to regulate hill broom production. The district is famous for forest products due to its conducive climate. Of these, hill broom is the most popular.
Sources said earlier, there was no systematic way in place for collection of hill brooms and its sale in the market. Now, Collector Sudhansu Mohan Samal has initiated measures for large-scale production and sale of hill brooms in an organised manner.
The broom is prepared with hill grass which is abundantly found in Gumma, Nuagada and Raigada blocks. Since the hill broom is a major source of income for a sizeable tribal population, the district administration had last year purchased 40 tonnes of hill grass at `35 per kg through women SHGs and other producer groups under Odisha Livelihood Mission.
Around 2 kgs of grass are used for making three brooms. But in the absence of storage facility, the product was sold at a throwaway price to traders of Andhra Pradesh.
Around one lakh brooms were produced last year and 85,000 of these were sold by the tribal women with help from the district administration.
The administration had planted hill broom plants on around 35 hectares last year and produced around 193 tonnes of raw material, said Collector Samal. This year, a target has been fixed to produce around 10 lakh hill brooms and engage around 600 women, particularly members of SHGs, he said.
In the first week of next month, a buyer-seller meet would be held at Parlakhemundi to facilitate marketing of the products. Experts from Odisha Rural Development and Marketing Society (ORMAS) will train SHG members in making attractive hill brooms and the administration will provide storage facilities, Samal said.
The Collector was hopeful that the measures would attract more rural women to hill broom making.