BOGRA, Oct 23: Over 1,000 people are providing family expenditure involving in bamboo crafts production round the year in all twelve upazilas of Bogra district from three to four decade back.
This profession is mostly based on women and aborigines across the area including vast Barind tract.  Bamboo products are their main source of income in over 100 villages of the district.
The local source said, people from Banduria, Merai, Pawgachcha, Damkuri, Kuraher, Keut, Gunaher, Khaduil, Paulunza, Fuldighi and Chandail villages of the district are completely dependent on bamboo crafts trading for their livelihood.
They demand to ensure sustainable measure should be taken to protect and flourish the bamboo craft. They sometime become worried because of the declining demand for the products, source added.
Talking to the correspondent the root level craftsmen said, need-oriented steps should be taken to create demand for the bamboo products in local as well as regional markets and remove the obstacles.
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, they urged.
A craftswoman Komella Bibi of Pachuil village under Khetlal upazila said that manufacturers frequently deprive them from gaining minimum profit due to multifarious reasons particularly the higher price of bamboo, irregular supply of raw materials and lack of communication between different markets.
On the other hand, the bamboo products are gradually losing demand due to rapid expansion of plastic industry.  
The bamboo baskets are widely used for carrying betel leaf and other seasonal fruits especially mango, tomato, papaya, guava etc. and demand of the bamboo handicrafts have enhanced to a large extent during harvesting and marketing of the fruits, she added.
President of Bogra Chamber of Commerce and Industries Masudur Rahman said that the bamboo traders, product manufacturers and businessmen should be brought under the existing micro-credit programmes for more expansion of the neglected sub-sector.
If these measures are taken the bamboo growers, traders, manufacturers and businessmen would be benefited equally and this would supplement the government's poverty alleviation efforts as a whole, he added.
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Source: The Financial Express