Development and Utilization of Bamboo Based Handicrafts through Cost Benefit Analysis

Aim: This study aims to analyze the bamboo-based handicrafts developed by rural bamboo handicraft workers and the utilization of these handicrafts through a cost-benefit analysis.
Research design: The descriptive research design was chosen in order to achieve the objectives of the study.
Methodology: The present study was conducted in three villages, namely Harpur, Waini, and Gangapur of Pusa Block in Samastipur district of Bihar. From these three villages, 120 bamboo handicraft workers were selected randomly. Bamboo-based handicrafts were categorized under 4 broad categories, namely Basket, Furniture, Utility, and Miscellaneous Products, and a cost-benefit analysis was used to analyze the net profit gained by these workers in each category.
Results: The findings of the study revealed that the majority of bamboo handicraft workers were found to develop various types of bamboo-based handicrafts in each category. Under the basket category dala and duli were produced by most of the workers, ladder and charpai were mostly developed in the furniture category, fork and tray in the utility product category and basuri in miscellaneous product category. Cost-benefit analysis of these handicrafts revealed that net profits per month gained by the bamboo handicraft workers are Rs.7680, Rs.3600, Rs.1910, and Rs. 3100 in basket, furniture, utility and miscellaneous product categories, respectively, based on their production of handicrafts per month.
Conclusion: Bamboo handicraft making was the main source of income and livelihood for these workers in the study locale. On the basis of the results, it can be concluded that an average bamboo handicraft worker earned between Rs.2800 to Rs.17000 per month from the cash sales of handicrafts developed by them. This shows that bamboo handicraft products greatly contribute to the regional economy and enhance the capacity of rural workers to overcome poverty.