Women from the Kui tribe in Odisha are dependant on the forest for their livelihoods. They often travel long distances deep into the forest to pick siali leaves, which they then stitch together to make disposable tableware, plates and bowls. Industree is extending support to this community by providing training, introducing new technology to improve productivity and quality, developing new ranges of products, and establishing new market linkages to enhance livelihoods for these women.
The Kui tribe has been making disposable serve ware from siali leaf for centuries. However, families earn as little as Rs 1,200 to Rs 2,500 (USD 16 to 35) annually, from this activity. There are several reasons - poor quality of the finished product, low price points at which plates are sold, and limited product range and too many intermediaries in market linkages. As a result, though women spend many hours working, they do not see sufficient financial returns to lift themselves out of poverty.
Industree seeks to introduce a hydraulic leaf plate-making machine and a solar power plant in the common facility centre in Lundraguda, a small hamlet in the forests near Baliguda in Odisha. This will enable 300 tribal women to expand their product range and improve the finish quality of their products (both in terms of look and feel and durability), allowing the women to command a higher price for the product.
Improved production processes through the introduction of technology. Improvement in product quality. Diversification of product range. Increase in selling price of product (from Rs 80 for a bundle of 100 fine-stitched plates, to Rs 230 for a pack of 100 moulded plates). Consistent demand for products, and therefore regular work for women. Increased earnings for 300 women.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
