Development potential of rattan-based household industries: A case study of Jalpaiguri District (India)

Rattan based industries provide the base for a broad range of rural and semi-urban household industries that provide livelihood for the rural poor, in the unorganized sector. A large number of rattan-based industrial units are found Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal, India. Due to wide prevalence of illiteracy and poverty the entrepreneurs lack scientific and technical knowledge and as a result of these their techniques of production remain inferior and the products lack standardization. The products are mostly sold in the local market. Middlemen play a powerful role in marketing these indigenous products. The study is based on 69 sample units collected from 15 villages of the district through field survey. The purpose of the study is to analyse the development potential of rattan-based industries in terms of production in the study area. It aims to evolve structural relationship among variables and to derive policy measures with regard to the development of the said sector. Multiple regression model has been used in the present analysis. In the process of estimating the development potential in terms of production using the model, several factors related to it are identified as the model variables.