When you think of a ‘broomstick’ there is certain imagery that comes to your mind. This imagery, more often than not, solely relates to the physical and functional attributes of the broom: What is the size of the broom? How long is it? Will it reach the corners of my room during cleaning? Is it easy to hold?

Although necessary, these questions are not sufficient in ensuring that you make the right purchase.

With the rallying cry made by the sustainability movement across the globe, now, more than ever is the time to think about your consumption patterns. There is a need to consider the ‘human angle’ behind the broomstick. There is a need to extend your thinking to consider the following questions- Where does my broomstick come from? who makes it? Is it an ethical production process? Is my broomstick good for the environment?

AND THIS IS WHERE BASUBA BROOMS ENTER THE IMAGERY

The state of Meghalaya produces the maximum broom grass in India. Every year, tribal farmers from the region grow or collect broom grass from the wild and sell it to intermediaries at marginal rates. Studies show that due to absence of value addition activities in the region, and lack of awareness and skillsets amongst the tribals, there is steep exploitation of this marginalized group by the intermediaries.

Against this background, NABFOUNDATION, with the support of NABARD, created ‘Basuba Brooms Producer Company Limited,’ a registered company with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, GOI.

Basuba Brooms Producer Company Limited is India’s first Off-farm Producer Company for brooms!

Through this company, interested tribal members from the region are being trained in the production process of brooms on a community basis; bringing ‘broomstick making’ as a complete livelihoods-based activity. It also involves bringing value addition activities such as processing, manufacturing, branding and marketing, at the level of the local tribal community.