In the red lateritic uplands of western West Bengal, where sal forests sway over undulating terrain and agriculture survives on uncertain monsoons, an unassuming grass quietly sustains the rural economy. For thousands of households across the districts of Jhargram, Bankura and Purulia, it has long been a steady source of livelihood. Locally called sabai or babui, and Eulaliopsis binata in scientific nomenclature, the perennial grass grows in dense clumps and thrives where most crops struggle. It flourishes on degraded, rain-fed uplands, often dismissed as “marginal” and unproductive. It withstands drought, tolerates light frost and requires little beyond seasonal rainfall and minimal labour. Waterlogging can destroy it, but in the dry tropical climate of eastern India excess moisture is rarely the problem.
Nowhere are the ecological resilience and economic potential of this hardy grass more evident than in Jhargram. Four of its blocks—Nayagram, Gopiballavpur-I, Binpur-II and Jhargram—account for 85 per cent of sabai grown in the state. A field-based study was conducted between 2019 and 2025 by researchers from Raja Narendralal Khan Women’s College in Midnapore. The study found that 42 per cent of rural households in districts of Jhargram, Bankura and Purulia depend wholly or partially on sabai-related activities, such as rope-making and the weaving of baskets, mats and home décor.
For generations people in these rural areas have relied on minor forest produce to supplement subsistence farming. Sabai was gathered casually and woven into ropes for household use or sold in local markets for modest returns. Over time the practice has evolved into a semi-organised rural enterprise that now plays a central role in the survival of nearly 65 per cent households in marginalised pockets of these districts, while supplementing the ...
This article was originally published in the March 16-31, 2026 print edition of Down To Earth