GUWAHATI, April 8 - Stressing the need for popularizing the Assamese hand-woven gamosa and check the import of substandard imitations from outside the State, the Bipanan Kshetra (Organic Hub) of Juripar, Panjabari has urged the people to help the cause of the Assamese indigenous artisans by promoting the traditional gamosa.
Addressing a press conference, Pulakesh Sarma, Anupam Sarma of Bipanan Kshetra and Manas Chaliha of Organic Majuli said that the State requires several crore gamosas annually and promoting the gamosa could create and sustain the livelihoods of three lakh weavers.
�The gamosa is a unique piece of cloth with multiple utility. It has also been an enduring symbol of Assamese hospitality. We also want to promote it in hotels in a big way,� Sarma said.
The Bipanan Kshetra, which is a public-private partnership (PPP) project, has also facilitated the sale of organic vegetables and fruits.
�We have tied up with farmers who produce vegetables and fruits without using chemical insecticides and other poisonous substances such as carbide. While we cannot claim all our products to be totally organic, we have made a beginning. Formal certification of the organic products also takes three years,� Sarma said.
Chaliha said that Organic Majuli had 254 registered organic farmers under it, covering a total of 1,000 bighas of farmland. �We are expanding our network and hope to bring one-third of the State�s total cultivable area under organic farming with support from the government,� he added.
The Organic Hub has also started a Rongali Bazar Mahotsav which will conclude on April 17.
