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Prospects of Women Entrepreneurship in the Jute Industry of Assam: An Analysis

Jute is an important fibre crop in Assam in terms its economic and social relevance. Assam is the third largest jute producing state in India after West-Bengal and Bihar. Large amount of jute cultivation takes place in the rural and riverine areas of Assam since British colonisation. Based on the availability of raw material and entrepreneurial supports initiated by the National Jute Board (NJB), women entrepreneurship in the jute industry have grown-up in the last two decades. Rural women primarily produce various decorative handicraft and handloom products which are getting wider acceptance in the regional and national markets. Growing environmental awareness and effort to replace polypropylene among environment conscious consumer has created opportunities for the entrepreneurs of the jute industry because of the inherent ecological attributes of this natural fibre. This paper is an attempt to analyse the contemporary scenario of women entrepreneurship in the jute industry of Assam. Production process, marketing practices as well as the constraints are also taken into consideration in the study. The paper is based on both primary data and secondary data. Primary data was collected from 120 women engaged in the process of jute crafts selected through snowball sampling procedure. It is found that, scarcity of time due to family and social responsibilities act as a major hindrance in the process of jute entrepreneurship. However, marketing practices are less troublesome then the production process. The study suggest for ensuring uninterrupted supply of fibre and other inputs to undertake production as a full economic activity among the women entrepreneur.