In new employment opportunity, craftsmen make wooden ducks

BALURGHAT: Local wood craftsmen in Naltahar, Balurghat block, have come across a new opportunity — crafting ducks from wood. Reportedly, around 2,000 of these meticulously crafted ducks have been produced by the local artisans.

Driven by this lucrative opportunity presented by a Kolkata-based company, they are busy working round-the-clock. Their singular focus now lies in meeting the demand and promptly dispatching these ducks to the Kolkata-based company.

These wooden creations are evidently in high demand in foreign shores and are exported from Kolkata. Biplab Sarkar, one of the artisans involved in this endeavour, recounts his initiation into the venture: “I initially reached out to an organisation in Kolkata via Facebook. After submitting some wooden duck samples, they reached back to me. We’ve begun with 2,000 pine wood ducks, with the company sourcing our materials from Kolkata. Our priority now is timely delivery, with a team of four to five wood craftsmen dedicated to the task.” Echoing Sarkar’s sentiments, fellow artisan Naban Sarkar acknowledged the international appeal of these pine wood ducks. “The company facilitating our Kolkata venture intends to export these ducks. This marks my first foray into this endeavour and I hope our craftsmanship meets the company’s standards, opening doors for more opportunities.

Even local women have joined the effort, highlighting a promising avenue for employment diversification.

We aspire to involve more artists in similar endeavors in the future,” he said.