Assam’s cultural bell metal industry in Barpeta facing challenges amid price hikes in raw materials

Barpeta (Assam) [India], July 7: Despite being an important part of Assamese culture and tradition, the bell metal industry in Assam’s Sarthebari town of Barpeta district is facing lots of challenges and problems in recent times.

The centuries-old handicraft industry is now struggling to survive due to various issues including price hikes of raw materials, machine-made and fake products available in the markets etc.

Around 2000 artisans are engaged in the Sarthebari bell-metal craft industry and they are urging the government to protect the industry.

Bhabesh Talukdar, president of the Sarthebari-based Assam Samabay Kahar Sangha Ltd. told ANI that, the centuries-old handicraft industry in Sarthebari is now struggling with many problems.

“Around 2000 artisans are engaged in the centuries-old bell metal craft industry in Sarthebari. There are around 300 Kahar Saal (bell-metal craft units). Every year, the bell-metal craft artisans have produced around 500 tons of bell-metal handicraft items, products in Sarthebari worth around Rs 1000 crore, Bhabesh Talukdar said.

Sarthebari bell-metal industry is the second largest handicraft sector in Assam after bamboo craft.

“The industry is now facing many problems including price hikes of raw materials. The Sarthebari bell-metal industry is continuing since the 7th century. The government’s responsibility is much more for the development of this handicraft industry, but the government has not done much more for it,” added Bhabesh Talukdar.

He further said that the bell-metal artisans of Sarthebari have demanded the government to provide Geographical Indication (GI) tag to this industry.

“The government should give Geographical Indication (GI) tag to this industry for surviving, because many more machine-made, fake bell-metal items, products have flooded in the markets,” Bhabesh Talukdar said.

On the other hand, Phulen Tamuly, an artisan of Sarthebari said that the price of the raw materials has increased much more after the Covid pandemic and for this, the artisans are facing many problems.

“Earlier per bag coal price was rupees 250 and now it has increased to rupees 750. We work very hard, but we don’t get our hard work price. We request the government to give us subsidies on raw materials and also reduce coal prices. Our income is now reducing,” Phulen Tamuly said.

Nabajit Talukdar, a businessman of bell-metal handicraft products said that along with handicraft bell-metal products, machine-made items, products are also available in the markets

“But there are quality differences between hand-made items and machine-made items. If the government will give a hallmark to the Sarthebari bell-metal products, then it will be better. The Sarthebari-produced products have been exported to Thailand, Nepal, Bhutan and other foreign countries,” Nabajit Talukdar said.