Selling Price of the Khalis and Dwipatris Free Essay Example

To a local agent for 100 pieces of 12 khalis, the selling price is Rs 10/- to Rs 12/- and for khalis of 18 diameter the selling price is Rs 20/-. After collection by the local agents the khalis and dwipatris are sold to the traders with additional charge of Rs/-30 per bundle as transport cost and profit. If the bundle is directly sold to the local markets then additional Rs. 10 is added. Apart from these types of stitching they also stitch the leaves using sewing machine and cotton thread.

But for this also, at first the leaves are stitched by bamboo twigs or juna grass and then stitching by cotton thread and sewing machine is done and after completion of the stitching the twigs are removed. Mainly three stitching types can be recognized.

Ordinary stitching: the stitching is done maintaining a wide gap and plates are not properly sealed. This khalis cost Rs 8 /- per100 pcs. ii) Medium stitching: better than ordinary stitching as the gaps are reducesd.

The khalis cost Rs10/- for 100 pcs. iii) Special stitching: good stitching pattern and fewer gaps make the khalis more compact. These khalis are sold at Rs 12/- for 100 pcs (Singh.D,(n.d).

Drying the stitched plates-The stitched leaves are left in an open space under sunlight for a day. The plates should not be left under sunlight for excessive time as that could reduce the flexibility and quality of the product. Usually the plates are dried in the homestead i.e. layered with mud and cow dung to keep moisture alive.

Even at night they are kept open to gain moisture which makes the leaves flexible and suitable for stitching. After collection of the day, all the family members are engaged in the conversion of the leaves into plate by stitching. But in rainy season these plates are sold in a nominal price to clear the stock. After drying, khalis get crumpled and those are corrected by making bundles and pressing them under heavy flat objects like stone. The khalis and dwipatras need to be dried properly as the colour of the leaves become darker if moist and this faces less demand. After pressing and flattening the dried khalis they are packed and supplied to the local agents. About 100 khalis are kept to make a Chakka and such ten chakkas make a bundle.

Pressing or moulding and making the final product: Pressing of the plates is done in household level with one machine. It was also informed that there are contractual processors with two to four machines who also engage in pasting of khalis. Within two stitched plates, a sizably cut polythene sheet is placed and this is put under a manually operated pressing machine with dye and kept for 5-10 seconds. The attached electric heater heats up the dye and melts the polythene sheet which acts as a leak proof adhesive. Due to the heat treatment, the shape of the plate is retained and the product is neatly cut according to the required size. The pasting machine for making plates costs approximately Rs 6000/- and the machine to make dona (bowl) costs Rs 4000/- approximately. However from khali, three types of products are made:-i) thali/plates ii) tray and iii) bowls. From dwipatries donas are made (Singh.D, n.d).

Such a sal leaf processing unit has been surveyed in Kushudiha village of Basta Block. It was informed that the leaves are imported from Mayurbhanj district of Orissa and Midnapore district of West Bengal. These leaves are of different qualities. The sal leaf bunch imported from Mayurbhanj is more costly than the types collected from Midnapore. It was also informed that for making a plate a layer of the leaves imported from Midnapore is made and then on top a layer of better quality Mayurbhanj leaves are placed. Previously the machines were imported from Patna, Bihar. But at present local machines are available so becomes business friendly. By installing a machine at home, a processing unit can be made and by engaging labourers, the unit can run easily. In a unit of pressing, three labourers are required at a wage of Rs 25/- to Rs 30/- for pressing 1000 plates. They get Rs/- 16 to Rs/-22 for pasting 1000 cups. It was informed by one of the owners of a processing unit of Basta block that a good hand can paste 3000 plates on an average and can earn Rs/- 80 to Rs120/- per day or for 8-10 duty hours. If electric and water supply are adequate then this processing unit gives good return. After pasting and cutting the plates according to size, the final products are ready. Such hundred plates make a bundle and are given to the middlemen for further sale. Mainly it is transported to Siliguri, Gouhati, Assam, Madhyapradesh, and Kolkata.

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