post news network, Bhubaneswar, May 29: Palm leaf products made by village women of Dhenkanal, Cuttack and Puri districts, during a two-month training programme, organised by the Odisha Rajya Talgur Samabaya Sangha (ORTSS) and financed by the Mahila Vikash Samabaya Nigam, were in high demand at Soochana Bhawan, Friday, where the products were exhibited.
Many distributors also visited the exhibition and placed their orders for some of the products, which they would sell through different websites. “These products are highly appreciated and are popular in foreign countries. New innovative ways are needed to make new products, which can satisfy people. I have placed order for some of the products, which my clients demand regularly,” said Rashmi Mohanty, of Earth Craft.
All the women, who took part in the training programme that began on March 20, were trained to make different palm products like palm jaggery, palm chocolates, choir mat, basket, dustbins, laundry baskets, bags, and other fancy items.
BC Das, managing director of ORTSS said, “The main objective of the training programme was to impart training to village women about the ways to make different new products, other than the traditional ones, using palm leaf and to discuss about creating markets for the palm products”.
In his address S Aswathy, director, Social Welfare Women and Child Development Department said, “It is a very good initiative of promoting palm leaf products; it would help women in rural areas to earn without going out of their house. More things need to be done to promote handicrafts made from palm leaf as such products are very popular in countries abroad. More markets need to be created for the selling of such products, which would help these women to sell their finished goods at a reasonable price.”
“I really enjoyed learning the palm works here. Such activities would help us start our own business and these can also be done as a part time job,” said Sudeshna Mohanty, a 3rd year B.Com student of Choudwar Collage, who took part in the programme.
Each woman, who took part in the training programme was given a stipend of `2000.