In the year 2019-20, India exported pottery worth *$9.97 million, yet small scale potters earn no more than about Rs 3500 per month. The process requires admirable skill and a lot of time, and the costs they have to incur to maintain their business are quite high, going up to Rs 5000 or more for inputs.
“It’s hard to do this individually. You need to hire a lot of labour and hence, the cost increases.”
The process of making a pot is a long one, from filtering clay to later drying the pot in a brick kiln. These require skill and there are high costs involved, yet most potters who hand craft pots earn about Rs 100 per day, in comparison to potters who use the electric wheel and earn upto Rs 500 per day.
“It is the head of the household, often a man, who sits on the wheel.”
The pottery business has been mostly practised by the Kumbhar communities, and there are specific roles allotted to men and women of potter families, which can often pose problems regarding efficiency. Then there are problems regarding wastage from broken pots and its massive time-consuming process.
Problem Statement:
How might we support small scale potters to make good profit from their wares, and increase their efficiency as well as reduce wastage?