Spiralling price of yarn hits handloom sector ahead of peak Onam season
A handloom weaver at Chendamangalam, famed for its handloom products. Weavers are looking forward to the Onam season for brisk sales.
| Photo Credit: H. VIBHU
The spiralling price of yarn and periodic difficulties in sourcing it have hit the handloom industry, especially weavers at Chendamangalam, North Paravur, ahead of the Onam season.
The price of yarn, mostly sourced from Tamil Nadu, has not stopped moving up since the pandemic. The August 2018 floods saw the price going up further, and it has now more than doubled over the recent months, said T.S. Baby of Paravur Handloom Cooperative Society No. 3428.
He said the state would celebrate Handloom Day on Wednesday, but the future of even the famed Chendamangalam legacy was in danger as there were no young people taking up the profession of weaving. This is largely because of the low remuneration. A multitude of new opportunities for the young and the dwindling demand in the market are the other reasons for the general deceleration in the industry, he added.
Meanwhile, the Kerala Khadi and Village Industries Board has set a target of ₹150 crore in sales turnover during the financial year and the Onam season accounts for the bulk of the annual sales.
Special exhibitions are being organised at all district headquarters, and a rebate of 30% will be available during Onam, sources in the Board said.
There are a total of 280 weavers and spinners under the Khadi and Village Industries Commission in Ernakulam, registered in 28 units. The workers include both weavers and spinners. Khadi production is a fully manual process in which cotton rovings are used to spin the yarn manually to weave cloths out of them.
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