I have been visiting various handmade paper units recetly and trying various products they manufacture. Handmade paper is, no doubt, a good technology for rural industrialization and has been the focus of J C Kumarappa as an important rural activity even before independence. Even today, owing to the small scale of operation, environmental friendliness of the process and easy availability of raw mateirals (cotton rags and agro-waste), handmade paper is made in several villages all over the country.

Estimated Production:
According to the KNHPI, it is estimated that about 40000 tons of handmade paper and board worth Rs. 240 crore was produced in India in the year 2007-2008. Out of this over 50% (Rs. 124.78 crore) was exported. More details about the production and export of handmade paper are available with KNHPI or in the booklet – Handmade Paper and Products Souvenir, Paperex-2009.

Raw Material:
Normally handmade paper is made from cotton rags and waste paper; however there is high availability of other potential fiber-rich sources. To tap the easy availability of alternate sources of fiber, KNHPI has worked on technology for producing handmade paper from a number of other lingo-cellulosic raw materials such as hemp, jute, banana, pine apple, flax, mulberry, water hyacinth, silk mulberry, lemon grass, wheat straw, rice straw, besharam, elephant dung, etc.

Cost of units:
Handmade paper units are easy to set-up. The cost of a hand-made paper unit is also not high and hence can be easily afforded by small entrepreneurs, cooperatives, NGOs and SHGs. The cost of a handmade paper unit ranges from 3 Lacs to 10 Lacs depending on the capacity of production. A unit with 3 lac investments can produce about 40 kg/day while a unit with 10 lac investments can produce about 400 kg/day. This does not involve the cost of land, construction of shed and working capital.

Equipments Required:
The essential equipment and machinery required in a handmade paper unit are: Rag chopper, digester, hollander beater, paper making auto VAT, press machine, paper dryer, calander machine and paper cutting machine.  Details of the machinery from HMPFI and KVIC.

Consulting and Resarch
Organizations providing consultancy and conducting research in the handmade paper industry:
Kumarappa National Handmade Paper Institute (KNHPI), Jaipur – Ramsinghpura Sikarpura Road, Sanganer, Jaipur – 302029. Phone: 0141-2731975 Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , www.knhpi.org.in

Training for Handmade Paper
Organizations providing training in handmade paper manufacturing:

• Kumarappa National Handmade Paper Institute (KNHPI)
  Ramsinghpura Sikarpura Road, Sanganer, Jaipur – 302029. Phone: 0141-2731975 Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , www.knhpi.org.in
• Handmade Paper Institute
  K B Joshi Road, Agriculture College Compound, Shivaji Nagar, Pune – 05 Tel: 020 25537383
• Dr. B R Ambedkar Institute of Rural Technology and Management and Institute of Renewable Energy
  Khadi and Village Industries Commission, PO Tryambak Vidya Mandir, Nasik – 422213 Tel: 0253 2280362
• CB Kora Institute of Village Industries
  Khadi and Village Industries Commission, Shimpoli Road, Borivali (west), Mumbai – 400092 Tel: 022 28981105
• Milti Disciplinary Training Centre
  Khadi and Village Industries Commission, Gandhi Darshan, Rajghat, New Delhi – 110002 Tel: 011-23392708

In addition, there are a number of NGOs that provide training on manufacturing of handmade paper.

Handmade Paper and Board Products:
Products that can be made from handmade paper are:

• Paper boxes for cakes, sweets, jewelry and bangles, sarees,
• Greeting cards
• Stationery items like diary, visiting cards, folders, pen stands, paper weight, envelopes and business card holder
• Other office and home utilities such as dustbin (for dry waste),magazine stands, lamp shade, flower vase, baskets,
• Photo frames,
• Paper bags

In addition handmade paper can be used for sending invitations, gift wrapping. Some manufacturers also make wall clocks from handmade paper.
Handmade paper board can be used for a number of applications such as:

• Packaging for high value consumer products and pharmaceuticals,
• Advertising pamphlets, danglers,
• Partitions in offices
• Low-cost housing

Funding Agencies
Funding/subsidy can be obtained under the PMEGP program for manufacturing of handmade paper.
Contact: Directorate of PMEGP/REGP
Khadi and Village Industries Commission
Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Govt of India,
Gramodaya, 3 Irla Road, Ville Parle (West), Mumbai – 400056
www.pmegp.in Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Manufacturers of Handmade Paper
Apart from a large number of private entrepreneurs, some of the organizations working in the production of handmade paper and boards are:

Darjeeling Handmade Paper Association, Darjeeling, West Bengal
Website: http://www.darjeelinghandmadepaper.com

Dharamitra, Wardha, Maharashtra
Phone: 07152-244408
Address : Bank Of India Colony, Nalwadi, Wardha-442001 Maharshtra

Issue with Handmade Paper Industry
In spite of its high potential as an income generating industry, the handmade paper industry still remains a much talked-about industry in India. When we look at the total quantity of paper manufactured by the handmade paper industry it lags far behind the buzz. In my opinion, the reason is low usage of handmade paper in India. While many consumers know about handmade paper and appreciate the environment-friendly and aesthetic nature of the product, they seldom take the extra step to make a purchase. Poor availability and marketing of handmade paper can also be attributed to this leading to a further decrease in production. Handmade paper products are available only in exhibitions, craft shops and select art / book shops. In most of these shops, the entire range of products made from handmade paper and boards is not available and the consumers dont even come to know about htem. For example, while many people spend money on marriage invitations to make them look aeesthetic, very few marriage invitations are made from handmade paper. In my opinion, agressive marketing efforts with intitial focus on easy-to-capture niche markets can boost the sale of handmade papers significantly.

• Add New
• Search

Comments (0)

Write comment

Your Contact Details:

Name:

Email: do not notifynotify

Website:

Comment:

Title:

Message:

Security

Please input the anti-spam code that you can read in the image.

Powered by !JoomlaComment 4.0 beta2