JEYPORE: Hill brooms produced by the tribals of Kotia panchayat under Pottangi block in Koraput district have gained significant popularity in neighbouring Chhattisgarh.
A Bilaspur-based agro company, BIOCART, has placed an order for 100 tonne of hill brooms in March following last year’s encouraging market response.
According to sources, the Pottangi block administration has actively promoted awareness among the tribal communities of Kotia region, encouraging them to engage in hill broom production to improve their socio-economic conditions. As a result, around 300 tribals have joined the Pottangi Agro Products Producer Company, a unit under the Odisha Rural Development and Marketing Society (ORMAS), to streamline the supply and marketing of hill brooms to other states.
Last year, a trader from Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar sourced over 50 tonne of hill brooms from Kotia, which sold rapidly due to their high quality. Building on this market momentum, BIOCART reached out to ORMAS and placed a large order for 100 tonne of brooms this year.
Sources said the brooms will be procured in phases at Rs 43 per kg, amounting to a total business of approximately Rs 43 lakh this season. The company has already lifted two tonne from Kotia as part of the first phase of the order.
District project manager of ORMAS Roshan Kartik said, “We have supplied two tonne of hill brooms produced by Kotia tribals and will continue to fulfil the order in phases. More beneficiaries from Kotia will be engaged in the coming months to expand collection of raw materials and production of the brooms in the bordering villages.”
Block development officer of Pottangi Ram Krushna Nayak said the rising demand for Kotia’s hill brooms in Chhattisgarh is an encouragement for the tribals to strengthen their economic condition. “We are committed to supporting the tribal communities of Kotia through various government schemes aimed at better livelihood for them,” he added.