New Delhi: You may have used eco-friendly jute bags, but a sari or slippers made out of the fibre? No, we aren’t spinning a yarn here. From home decor to hair accessories, jute-based items are the new rage at India International Trade Fair, which is currently under way at Pragati Maidan. These products range anywhere from Rs 200 to Rs 2,500.

However, it’s the jute silk sari that’s the talk of the town — and not the least because of the novelty factor. Sellers say the properties of pure jute fabric, such as its strength, coarseness, roughness and thickness, means that it is a great raw material for making stylish saris that are not only easy to carry but are also affordable. The sari is made after many steps of smothering fibres of jute, which are then mixed with silk yarn and woven together into a finished product. The polished and lustrous texture of the jute silk sari gives it a grand look. At the fair, these sari could be bought for as low as Rs 1,000.

Ranjan Jha, a seller from Chhatisgarh, said he had already sold jute items worth over Rs 1.5 lakh. The trade fair will continue till November 27 and Jha expects more business in the coming days. “Jewellery pieces, home decor items, dolls and bags made of jute are some of the stuff that are selling well. I hope to do well in the days to come even though the business this year has been dull because of the ongoing work at Pragati Maidan. Nonetheless, a lot of children have turned up at my stall with their parents and walked away with jute dolls. Some of them have gone for as much as Rs 350,” Jha said. That his stall is close to entry gate No. 1 has helped. Jute’s appeal as an environment-friendly alternative to traditional plastic carrybags has helped it emerge as one of the success stories at the fair. “After the government recently announced a ban on single-use plastic, I felt the jute business would be a success at the fair. As expected, a lot of people have come to my stall and those nearby. Many of them have walked away with bagful of goodies,” Rahul Shailendra, a first-timer at the fair, said. “I’ve put up stalls at art fairs in several states, but this is the first time I have come to Delhi and I am not complaining. The response has been overwhelming. However, I wish there was more crowd like the previous years. I would have then earned twice as much,” he said. The fibre has become a generator of jobs, especially for low-income women from tribal areas. Speaking to TOI, many sellers said they had started making toys and bags from jute only recently. “We were among the first people to start this business and, after us, we engaged at least 20 other girls from our villages,” claimed Manju Jha from Jharkhand and Sharmila Devi, a resident of Chhattisgarh. “We weave bags and make dolls and, then, sell them at reasonable rates,” said Devi. Musharraf, another seller, said there was a need to make people aware of the usefulness of jute. “Fairs like these gives a chance to the local entrepreneurs to venture into this sector. Usually, there are not many takers for jute products. But we are never short of buyers during these fairs,” he said. For Rajni Kishan, a member of a self-help group in Tamil Nadu, it’s a matter of feeding a family of 15 people. “I come from a very poor family and started making jute bags to repay a hefty loan. The business was slow to start with, but now my husband and I make around Rs 3,000 a day,” she said. Vishakha Sharma, a housewife, expects the idea to catch on. “These bags are not only stylish but also comfortable to use. I have completely switched to jute bags, many of which I bought from the trade fair this year itself,” she said.