ICAR-CRIJAF Empowers Rural Women with Jute Product Skill Training

By: Women Entrepreneurs Review Team | Friday, 26 June 2026

The ICAR-Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibres (ICAR-CRIJAF), Barrackpore successfully organised a basic skill development training program as a part of Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) Scheme of the All India Network Project for Jute and Allied Fibres (AINPJAF) to empower rural women through skill development and sustainable livelihood generation.

The training program was based on imparting hands on skills on manufacturing value added jute diversified products like decorative jute showpiece and other diversified handcraft products. The project was designed to enhance entrepreneurship skills of rural women through jute value addition to empower them to become self-employed and to generate additional income.

The program was implemented with 10 Scheduled Tribe (ST) rural women from Nadia and North 24 Parganas. The trainees received both theoretical and hands-on practical training from experienced instructors, enabling them to acquire the technical expertise required to produce a range of marketable jute products. The training also introduced participants to the importance of product finishing; quality standards, and attractive presentation, helping them better understand customer preferences and improve the marketability of their handmade jute products.

The program emphasized not only skill enhancement but also the importance of transforming these newly acquired skills into sustainable livelihood opportunities. Participants were encouraged to continue practicing the techniques after the training to further refine their craftsmanship and improve the quality of their products.

Key Highlights

• Practical training strengthened rural women's skills in value-added jute handicrafts
• Entrepreneurship focus encouraged sustainable livelihoods through handmade jute product marketing
• Ten ST women received technical and practical training under TSP scheme

In the valedictory session, Dr. Gouranga Kar, Director, ICAR-CRIJAF, engaged in one-on-one discussions with the participants and motivated them to pursue market opportunities for their handmade jute items. He emphasized the importance of developing such skills and skill development programs in providing sustainable livelihood options and fostering entrepreneurship among the rural communities.

Dr. Gouranga Kar, while speaking on the occasion, said that training programs like this would become a very useful initiative for developing sustainable livelihood opportunities in skill development of value added jute diversified products. He also encouraged the trainees to actively promote their handcrafted items, allowing them to earn some extra bucks and help in the promotion of eco-friendly jute handicrafts.

He also acknowledged the significance of such training programs in creating long-term livelihood opportunities through skill enhancement and encouraged participants to continue developing their expertise in jute handicrafts.

The participants were satisfied with the training program and were highly interested in acquiring more knowledge about advanced jute product manufacturing process. Their enthusiasm demonstrated an emerging entrepreneurial capacity of rural women in terms of skill, which requires technical guidance and institutional support.

The program successfully highlighted sustainable rural development, self-reliance and income generation by amalgamating practical skill acquisition with entrepreneurial awareness. It also helped to strengthen the increasing value of jute as a green raw material for value added handicrafts. ICAR-CRIJAF added that future support would need to be provided through skill development programs, market linkages, and entrepreneurial guidance, which would further amplify the impact of such programs, facilitating rural women to build sustainable income-generating businesses and boost the rural economy.