A\oue COcaves Weaving wonders. Through water hyacinth. Revolutionising the Region’s Handicraft Industry a g A joint initiative of; North Eastern Development North Eastern Council, J Finance Corporation Limited Ministry of DONER¢ ¢ abulously eco-friendly, we are proud to present you the finest blend of nature and human innovation. See through us, how the gifted artisans are transforming an aquatic weed- the water hyacinth into elegant crafts. 9 9THE QUEST Encouraging sustainable rural livelihood has been one of the key objectives of NEDFi from the very beginning. The organisation has been experimenting with various possibilities to promote eco-friendly goods that would not only create self employment opportunities for the rural population but also generate revenue by making most of the natural resources without affecting the environment. Extensive use of cane and bamboo has nearly exhausted the forests imposing a threat to the traditional cane and bamboo sector of the region. Irregular supply of cane and high cost of procurement have adversely affected the craftsmen in their cane based activities. Thus, the very idea of promoting rural livelihood and managing resources at the same time has prompted NEDFi to think about smart alternatives which resulted in identifying Banana Pseudo-Stem and Water Hyacinth as the raw materials. These are easily available and free of cost and both would immensely facilitate the production of nature products. However, as water hyacinth is a menace to the water bodies and creates a great number of problems, NEDFi zeroed in on it as the appropriate alternative. This led to a conscious decision to prioritise the promotion of water hyacinth based craft to produce eco-friendly products and facilitate sustainable rural livelihood. CREATING MEANING OUT OF A MENACE ‘The same water hyacinth which creates problems in aqua bodies and even threatens fishery industry, has many practical applications. This can be weaved as that of cane and hence its potential for use in basketry, bags, furniture and decorative items is enormous. Countries like Thailand and Malaysia produce beautiful handicrafts from water hyacinth and ithas a niche market because ofits natural fibre. The availability of such a cost effe e alternative helps the traditional craftsmen to be more competitive where their skills can be integrated to reap benefits of the modern market. Since it possesses the quality to emerge as an industry on its own, NEDFi thus took the initiative to propagate the use of water hyacinth for making handicraft products. NEDFi started promotion of water hyacinth in August, 2008, by organising a capacity development programme. Artisans were trained and the products they developed received satisfactory response fromthe market.FOSTERING THE SKILL AND THE TRADE The initiative is now bold and stronger with support from the North Eastern Council (NEC), Ministry of DoNER, Government of India, for developing 1000 artisans over a period of three years. Through this joint initiative, awareness creation, capacity development of artisans and market linkage are being provided. The project aims at continuously upgrading the skills of the artisans so that they can meet the demand of the modern market. A group of artisans on completion of their A group after completion of training programme at Tezu in Arunachal Pradesh training in a village in Assam To augment strategic design of products, NEDFi had taken help of expertise of the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad (NID), which has resulted in the following: @® Faculties of NID visited the villages to understand the basic techniques used by the artisans in the first week of November, 2010 @® A three week Strategic Design Input Training Programme at NID, Ahmedabad for a batch of 25 artisans in the month of December, 2010, who are to be deployed as trainers for future capacity building programmes Asa follow up, the lead designers who had imparted training at Ahmedabad visited the homes of artisans in February-March, 201 1, to understand the effectiveness of the design inputs provided during the training programme at NID @® Animmediate outcome of the intervention is process improvement which has lead to increase in productivity and reduction in costDirector, NID with an artisan and a product she developed during the training The team on completion of programme at NID INFUSING TECHNOLOGY Consistency in quality and improvement in productivity have now been facilitated through the introduction of standard moulds, flattening machines, stitching machines, looms etc. Groups of artisans are provided with flattening machines as a part of the capacity development programme. These machines reduce the drudgery of manual flattening of dry stems. The groups which perform well are also provided with special stitching machines required for perfecting bags and mats. The Demonstration Centre at NEDFi Haat is equipped with all the aforesaid facilities so that the Master Artisan manning the Centre can provide any assistance that an artisan might require. Introduction of such low cost technology has enhanced the capacity of the artisans to produce in volumes.SKILL SPECIALISATION The initiative has encouraged the introduction of specialised skills wherever necessary. While one special faculty was roped in during the training programme at NID, Ahmedabad, for making various types of braids, two artisans were sent to Delhi to participate in a workshop on jewellery design organised by the World Craft Council. The braid designs have now been ’ ‘ Export at NID giving guidance on Braid Making incorporated in making handles of water hyacinth bags to make them more elegant. Similarly, jewellery inputs received from international designers will help to produce products for the international market. A group of select artisans are engaged in making the moulds, which are supplied free of cost to other artisans as per their requirement. This helps in maintaining uniformity in the size and specifications of the products. Similarly, groups will be formed for preparation of semi finished raw material with different colours. These groups will be operative as dyeing units EMPOWERING WOMEN Most of the beneficiaries under the project are women belonging to the rural areas. The additional income they earn is helping them meet the needs of their families. Convenience of making goods at home gives them the opportunity for recreation after attending the household chores. In some areas they work in groups which have increased their productivity. The craft has thus begun a new era of providing the women of rural areas with a sustainable livelihood.CATEGORY PROMOTION As a part of the category promotion, NEDFi has coined the products under the brand name “Aqua Weaves”. A product tag has been crafted not only to promote Aqua weaves; it inks the individuality and special product attributes of various artisans as well. The tags are distributed free of cost to the artisans A CARDINAL FACILITY To carry forward the project, NEDFi has constructed a Water Hyacinth Craft Gallery-cum- Demonstration Centre at NEDFi Haat, which was inaugurated by Sri U. K. Sangma, Secretary, North Eastern Council on 7th March, 2011 in presence of Sri B. P. Muktieh, CMD, NEDFi and Sri Jagdish Borah, MD, NEHHDC. It provides the following facilities: Products made by artisans will be put on display in the Gallery. Artisans no longer have to stock the finished products at home as they can now send it to the Gallery, a permanent showroom exclusively made for promotion of Water Hyacinth Craft. @® Products on display carry the Aqua Weaves Tag. Prices mentioned on these tags are decided upon by the artisans themselves so that a customer pays a price determined by the artisans. A system that ensures Fair Trade Practice. a The Demonstration Centre is manned by master craftsmen. It will remain open in the Ist week of every month for facilitating open training to anyone who wants to learn the craft. The artisans will be encouraged to deposit their products during this period where he or she will be guided by the master craftsmen in matters related to quality, pricing and market demand. Craft gallery inaugurated by SriU K Sangma, Secretary, NEC Craft gallery on the day of inauguration@P NEDFi Haat is visited by domestic as well as foreign tourists looking for products produced directly by the indigenous artisans and craftsmen of the region. Hence, the Demonstration Centre will help to educate the inquisitive tourists on the production techniques of these eco-friendly products. @® The Centre will accept bulk orders and pass on to the artisans. After procuring the finished goods it will also deliver these to the buyers. Hence, it can utilise the capacity of all the artisans engaged in the project by giving them market linkage in one hand and ensuring timely delivery to the buyers on the other, Products on display at the Craft Gallery The Water Hyacinth Craft Gallery-cum-Demonstration Centre will thus be the heart of the project with its one stop solution to meet the need of the artisans as well as the demand of the customers. MARKET LINKAGE Market linkage plays a crucial role in the path towards success. Apart from the cardinal facility provided at the NEDFi Haat, the project is supporting individual artisans through, different exhibitions held in small towns as well asin big cities. Exclusive exhibitions on water hyacinth are also held at NEDFi Haat to promote the craft. Ithas not only helped in selling the products but also in popularising the same among customers, thereby creating future market demand. In its effort to develop and An exclusive exhibition on Water hyacinth ‘at NEDFi Haat in July, 2010 A jacket made of Water hyacinthpromote the craft, NEDFi partners with other stakeholders as well. Showrooms are thus being opened in small towns of Northeastern region bythe artisans to market their products locally. Sought after products among the customers in the fairs are- caps, a variety of bags, coin purse, mats etc. while products such as baskets and laundry bins have selective buyers. Give us an idea and win cash!! ae = We have found follow Caaneccas Bogs, ala, Caner Lan Sands Tr Pots Frames oui oer, Jets nd oer Waceaneous Decor en 2.cererece ers Tne mas and Coasters Mat ntarir Padeg wa, Parton ete ‘Fartue 5 er micelareous tens diayed inte eiiton ener! epee tout ue pto age are wae cr *Senctenal Pe we mitten te wy 3 oer dete + cad Pa egret R010 eh +Wares wil sece by NEDF lca comme Dectoncle ‘onmae ma fa nd nse Lae tn or ea: 196 24709400 Rests vib ect 600 pn. on 1 4200 “Phase lp be onan rp in be rp oe Your ideas wl oa long way in helping the artisans. A showroom faciltated fo an artisan by DRDA, Nagaon NURTURING NEW IDEAS NEDFi endeavours to involve all the stakeholders and the public at large. In one of its exclusive exhibitions held in the month of July, 2010 at NEDFi Haat for promotion of water hyacinth craft products, an open competition on new ideas was held among the visitors. The three best ideas were awarded a cash prize of Rs. 1000/- each. The three winning ideas for the development of new products were: a) Jewellery b) Bedroom Slippers ©) Packaging for sweets Artisans have encashed the ideas on jewellery and bedroom slippers and the products are now on sale at the Craft Gallery. ‘The Demonstration—cum-Training Centre at NEDFi Haat will organise open discussion from time to time where people can participate to present their ideas and even experiment with the facilities available at the Centre.The NEDFi-NEC joint initiative has developed a new breed of confident artisans. They are more than artisans; they are the Brand Ambassadors... Mal wi ear, Assam BONA alba artisan from An on Sipainat, ng district, Darrand “ssaisa engage? in jewelle) ork, ‘assemVisit the Craft Gallery at NEDFi Haat, Ambari, Guwahati for these exclusive eco-friendly products. ME oaeao 63321 ‘Concept and design RESONAN: Neri ‘An ISO 9001:2008 Company North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Limited NEDFi House, G.S. Road, Dispur, Guwahati - 781 006 Phone: 0361-6115555 (30 channels), Fax: 0361-6115556 Visit us at: www.nedfi.com