By James Khangenbam Imphal 12 March 2023
Bamboo is used while constructing concrete houses and making tents for cultural, official occasions. Besides for many handicraft products and Bamboo shoots are eaten fresh or after fermentation in Manipur. It is a gift of the nature and as it grows abundantly many people make a living from Bamboo Business. Let’s us take a look into how few individuals make their living out of selling bamboos.
Accounts of some bamboo growers :
Procuring 450 to 500 bamboos in a single truck trip from the hill and selling them in retail in Imphal town has been a brisk business for some of the villagers in Manipur. They load around 65 Bamboos in one bullock cart. It is a retail business. The truckload of Bamboo cost around Rs 50 thousand. If calculated a bamboo costs Rs 100, they add transport, labour charge and sell at Rs 125, Rs 130 or Rs 135 respectively.
It is a profitable job. By selling Bamboo I can manage a family of five says Tarpon who is 74 Years old. Tarpon has been running the Bamboo business since he was 15 years old. Nowadays he uses to make less profit but definitely sells a bullock cart of Bamboo for a day. He went back home with at least Rs 1800 profit a day. Summing up to Rs 54 thousand a month if he sells a bullock cart of Bamboo per day.
The types of Bamboo that they sell are Nonga, Unan etc. Torpon also expresses that there is scarcity of Bamboo than earlier times. He is a resident of Sagoltongba. He uses to procure Bamboo from Keithelmanbi side. As such there are Bamboo bullock carts lined up along Moirang leirak till Wahengleikai parking early morning when the traffic is less and the demand is increasing for many construction works taking place in Imphal area where there is minimum Bamboo or no Bamboo grown now.
Herojit from Heibungpokpi
“A pair of Cow cost Rs. 90 Thousand unlike the olden days. In order to carry on my business I have to own a bullock cart. I have to take loan to start my business “, informed Herojit. Herojit use to earn a profit of more than Rs 20 thousand a month from the Bamboo Business. He is almost seven years into the Business. We use to stock a truckload of Bamboo at his home and sell them in the market. His trip frequency is twenty times a month. The least profit he use to make in a month is Rs 10 thousand depending on his selling capacity. He wakes up in the midnight and get ready to set out in his bullock cart at around 3 am to reach Moirang Leirak to carry on his business.
55 year Old Nimai
“ There are no Bamboos to chop down in the plain area we have to procure them from the hills. At one time ‘Saneibi Waa’ cost only Rs 50 it slowly rise up to Rs 60, Rs 70 and now it cost us Rs 120 or Rs130 or even Rs 140 sometimes . We sold them at Rs 170, Rs 180 or Rs 190 a piece depending on the quality of the Bamboo after transportation and labor charge is added.
A truckload of Bamboo is easily sold in a month. I can earn a profit of Rs 20 thousand a month comfortably. It is a hard job too as we have to bear the rain or sit in the Sun waiting on a roadside for our customers.
