Bhubaneswar: A group of women from Balasore who once depended on collecting sal leaves from forests and making traditional leaf plates for their livelihood have achieved a major milestone by securing an international cloth bag order from London.
The development has brought recognition to the Navadurga Producers Group based in Dhobashila panchayat under Nilagiri block and created new opportunities for hundreds of women associated with self-help groups in the region.
Members of the producers’ collective are currently working to fulfil the export order, with women from nearly 20 self-help groups participating in production activities to meet delivery targets on schedule.
“We are extremely happy to receive the order. We are even happier that our handmade bags will be exported abroad, and it has strengthened our belief in our own abilities,” said self-help group member Subhadra Giri.
Several women associated with the initiative expressed pride over receiving international recognition for products manufactured within their rural communities.
Many of the women involved in the project had earlier relied on collecting sal leaves from nearby forests and producing leaf plates for subsistence income. In 2018, they came together to form self-help groups and gradually shifted towards collective livelihood generation activities.
According to local members, the transformation gained momentum after the group’s president approached Pratap Sarangi for support. Through his initiative, 50 sewing machines were reportedly provided to the women, enabling them to begin organised cloth bag manufacturing operations.
Over time, multiple self-help groups across the panchayat joined together to establish the Navadurga Producers Group, which now supports livelihood opportunities for more than 200 women.
The success is being viewed as an example of rural women-led entrepreneurship, community-based production and the growing role of self-help groups in expanding local products into national and international markets.
-OdishaAge
