Bamboo-based industries provide livelihood for the rural poor, particularly home-based workers in the unorganized sector. A large number of bamboo-based industrial units are found in the study area which is mostly concentrated in rural areas. Due to illiteracy and poverty the artisan workers lack scientific and technical knowledge which results low output. In the absence of organized market middlemen play a powerful role in marketing the products. Obsolete tools and outdated mode of production are the major constraints for development of the sector. However, the sector has bright prospects of development. The objective of the study is to analyse the prospects of bamboo-based industries in the study area. It examines the influence of identified factors on the productivity of the sector and suggested policies for its development. A total of 71 industrial units of bamboo-based industries have been surveyed which covers 21 villages of Koch Bihar district in the state of West Bengal, India. Multiple Linear Regression model has been used in the present analysis. On the basis of analysis some policy measures are suggested for the development of the sector.
Bamboo-based Industries, Multiple Regression, Policy, Prospects
