RAJSHAHI, July 29, 2019 (BSS) – The gradually rising fruit farming as well boosting its yield in the region including its vast Barind tract has accelerated the demand of bamboo baskets to a greater extent.
Bamboo baskets are very suitable and appropriate for carrying and transportation of vegetables and various seasonal fruits like mango, litchi, papaya and tomato from field to markets, said Jalal Uddin, a vegetable vender at Shaheb Bazar in Rajshahi city
He added that the uses of bamboo baskets and the bamboo-based devices are increasing day by day. Growers and traders were seen carrying and transporting their seasonal fruits through the bamboo baskets instead of any other plastic box and basket.
Jashim Uddin, a fish wholesaler at Saheb Bazaar, told BSS that fishermen and the small fish traders use bamboo baskets in term of carrying and transporting fishes for long.
“We are dependent on the eco-friendly bamboo basket for keeping and carrying the newly harvested fruits and vegetables,” said Ziaul Haque, a successful entrepreneur at Darusha village under Paba Upazila.
Illustrating the salient feature of eco-friendly baskets he said bamboo basket keeps litchi and mango cool and green for several hours. There is no alternative to use it for running the business of mango and litchi successfully.
“I have been using bamboo basket for the daylong vending vegetables forlong around 18 years,” said Azizul Islam, a vegetable vendor of Shayampur village under Matiher Police Station.
Professor Dr Redwanur Rahman of Institute of Environmental Sciences of Rajshahi University said more than 10,000 people are involved in manufacturing bamboo baskets and crafts in the region.
Most of them are women and aborigines and bamboo products are their main sources of their income. Apart from this, around 30,000 other people are completely dependent on trading of those for their livelihood.
The manufacturers collect bamboo from local markets and sell the processed items locally while small traders purchase the items from different villages and sell those to various regional markets.
The bamboo baskets are widely used for carrying betel leaf and other seasonal fruits especially mango, tomato, papaya, guava and jujube and demand of the bamboo handicrafts have enhanced to a greater extent during harvesting and marketing of the fruits.
Prof Rahman underscored the need for promoting the sector through extending technical and financial support to the people who manufacture bamboo baskets and fishing crafts ancestrally for poverty alleviation of the disadvantaged group of people.
Market expansion of environment-friendly bamboo products and successful manufacturing of those can eradicate their poverty.
Interested nursery owners should be given necessary training on bamboo sapling production and branch cutting method, in collaboration with the Bangladesh Forest Research Institute and the Social Forestry Department, to enhance bamboo production.
Importance should be given on conducting survey in different high price markets including Dhaka and other commercial hubs to build linkage between the wholesalers and producers.
He viewed that the bamboo traders, product manufacturers and businessmen should be brought under the existing micro-credit programmes.