Traditional Bhojpur blanket industry at stake

BHOJPUR: Woollen blanket and carpet industries along with other cottage industries in Bhojpur face shut-down as producers are not getting market prices for their products as expected.

Rani Maya Rai, a resident of Charambi in the eastern region of Arun Rural Municipality-4 in the district, shared that the woollen blanket industry faced a struggle for survival due to the diminishing market price, despite having abundant raw materials.

As the prices of carpets and blankets made out of sheep’s wool and Himalayan nettle are decreasing, the producers in south Salpasilichho Rural Municipality and east Arun Rural Municipality find it difficult to operate their business and are in a verge of closing down.

People have been making woollen blankets, carpets, and garments since long. The sheep’s wool is brought from the northern side of the district while the Himalayan nettle is grown in north Kulung, Dobhan, Khatamma, eastern Jaraayotar, Charambi, Yaku, among others. Both are used prominently for production.

Extracting fibres from the Himalayan nettle and readying them for use involves lengthy procedure and yet the final product of tough labour is brought to the market for no gain, says farmer Malati Kulung of Khatamma.

She added, feeling demotivated, it takes three days of walking to reach Bhojpur headquarters and that vehicles take heavy fare which adds up to the total cost, making the profit even lesser.

Likewise, shepard Lakpaneru Sherpa of Kemlung, Khadananda Municipality-9 shared that the sale of wool has been diminishing from 100 kgs to 10-12 kgs only. Since there aren’t many buyers, the sheep farming is at a halt, he added.

The Cottage and Small Industry Development Committee, Bhojpur aimed at making the blanket and nettle industry a community-based industry; however, the market trend has been shifting away from the traditional approach.

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