Bamboo furniture on display. A Telegraph picture

Sept. 1: Sonitpur’s bamboo products are in for a stylish makeover with an eye on the wider market.

Come December and the district hopes to bring about a complete change in the style, get-up and longevity of its furniture.

The district forest department has taken up a project to help manufacturers produce quality furniture. It includes setting up a processing centre at Dhekiajuli and an organised market with international links in the heart of Tezpur, the district headquarters.

Sonitpur (West) divisional forest officer Chandan Bora said the National Mission on Bamboo Application had given Rs 18 lakh as one-time assistance for the processing centre. It will provide another Rs 12 lakh for the rest of the project, including the organised market, which is in the preliminary stages.

“We hope the project will be completed within November,” he added.

Bora said quality bamboo would be treated and processed scientifically at the centre with the help of trained forest department staff. This bamboo would be sold to artisans at a nominal rate and any excess material would be sent outside the district.

According to Chariduar range officer Bileswar Kalita, “The main defect here is that artisans treat and process raw bamboo in the traditional way. As a result, the life of furniture like sofas is just eight to 10 years. The design, finishing and art of the furniture produced here attract customers, but the longevity factor discourages them. Furniture made of scientifically-treated bamboo will easily last 40 to 50 years.”

Bora said the proposed organised market would be set up inside a 1,000 square foot shed. “It will have a sophisticated and beautifully decorated showroom to display bamboo products. This would be a place where the right buyer would meet the right producer. The shed will also have Internet facilities for the artisans to keep tabs on the national and international markets, business potential, new technology and future prospects,” he added.

Thousands of families, especially in Biswanath Chariali, Dhekiajuli, Balipara and Tezpur towns are engaged in making sofa sets, dining tables and chairs, almirahs and mats.

The demand for bamboo furniture from Sonitpur is rising in metros like Bangalore, Mumbai, New Delhi and Calcutta.

The district recently won national recognition for producing quality bamboo furniture. A source in the forest department said eight expert artisans would be trained outside the state and through them the concept of improved raw bamboo and quality furniture would be popularised among the new generation of artisans.