The traditional craft of bamboo weaving is passing through hard times in the district, which had previously distinguished itself as a hub of handicrafts.
Thousands of bamboo artisans are grappling with multiple challenges, including shortage of raw material, lack of institutionalised marketing mechanism, and a virtual deluge of plastic household items into the rural markets.
Vast tracts of forests endowed with abundant bamboo plants were transferred from Bhadrachalam division in the district to Andhra Pradesh in compliance with the provisions of the AP Reorganisation Act last year.
This has taken a toll on the initiatives of the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Bhadrachalam, to train more number of Adivasis in making value added products from bamboo and arrange marketing tie-up for augmenting their income.
The ITDA has trained many Adivasi youths of Konda Reddi community under the aegis of experts from Chhattisgarh and Odisha at its vocational training centre and provided them with the requisite tools to produce bamboo handicrafts of both utility and decorative value in the undivided Andhra Pradesh prior to formation of Telangana.
The ITDA, subsequently, discontinued the training programme in making bamboo-based handicrafts even as it retained the remaining programmes in various other vocational trades at its youth training centre in Bhadrachalam, sources said.
In the absence of institutionalised marketing system, thousands of members of Medara community, who are solely dependent on bamboo weaving for their livelihood, are struggling to eke out a living in various mandals across the district.
We are nurturing our traditional bamboo craft against heavy odds to keep alive the age-old handicraft tradition, says V Srinivas, president, Khammam District Medara Welfare Association. The government should lend a helping hand to us by ensuring adequate raw material and marketing opportunities besides credit among other requisite facilities for sustaining the eco-friendly traditional craft, he appeals.
The bamboo cover is spread in around 200 hectares in Palvancha forest division comprising Edullabayyaram, Aswapuram and Palvancha ranges, says Sarvanan, DFO, Palvancha.
Bamboo plantation is presently underway in the division to further expand the bamboo cover. We have provided 1.50 lakh bamboos to the cooperative societies of the rural artisans in Palvancha division so far this year, he adds. Over 50 members of Medara community were trained in making value added products from bamboo such as flower vases, light shades and other items of decorative and utility purpose, says Anjaneya Sarma, Executive Director, BC Corporation, Khammam.
