Handloom industry to get a new lease of life
The handloom industry is the second-largest economic activity in the country, after agriculture, a means to survival for close to 12.4 million people. With 3.9 million looms, India is perhaps the only country to produce handlooms on a large, comme...
By Chandra R Srikanth, TNN |
CHENNAI: The handloom industry is the second-largest economic activity in the country, after agriculture, a means to survival for close to 12.4 million people. With 3.9 million looms, India is perhaps the only country to produce handlooms on a large, commercial scale.
Numbers, however, as far as the handlooms are concerned prove to be deceptive, because the industry by itself is going through a lean phase overpowered by the presence of power loom and mill sectors. The mood at the Handloom Export Promotion Council (HEPC) nevertheless was upbeat, with officials pinning their hopes on the recent initiatives of the textile ministry to boost the dwindling prospects of the handloom industry.
“We have initiated the development of Handloom Export Zones (HEZ) at various handloom clusters in India to create supply hubs for the export market with an upgraded infrastructure and trained weavers. In Tamil Nadu, the HEZs have been planned at Virudhunagar, Nagercoil, Thiruvannamalai, Kancheepuram and Nagapattinam,” said Joseph Britto, vice-chairman, HEPC. It would take six months for these projects to be implemented.
These export zones would benefit the weavers by increasing their income scale from the present Rs 50 to Rs 100-150 per day. Among the above projects, the HEZ at Nagercoil, at a cost of Rs 61.1 lakh will focus on providing employment for those displaced by the tsunami, while the Thiruvannamalai HEZ, is a one-of-a-kind HEZ for women SHG members. Not surprising, since women constitute 60% of the handloom industry.
Mr Britto added that separate figures for handloom exports were not available since 2003, due to the absence of the HS code for handloom. He said, “The harmonised code or HS code sectorally classifies mill, handloom and power loom products. It has become difficult to monitor handloom export trends since 2003 in the absence of such a code. We have submitted a proposal to the government to implement a separate HS code for handlooms.”
A separate HS code would also help HEPC promote handloom as an environment-friendly, heritage product with socio-economic implications as it’s a major employment provider. On the back of these factors, the HEPC plans to negotiate with WTO for total tariff exemption for handloom exports.
An interesting export trend observed in the industry is that made-ups (home furnishings) rather than fabrics have become more popular in recent years. Mr Britto feels this is a positive trend because while fabrics are in ample supply in the power and mill sectors, the intricate design and value addition prevalent in the made-ups are features exclusive to the handloom sector.
Mr Sivakannan, former chairman, HEPC, said, “Handloom exports can be revived by promoting creations which are unique to the handloom industry. This includes home furnishings with superior design, which the mill and power loom industries cannot replicate.”
To enhance the design quality of handlooms, the HEPC also plans to set up design studios in important export clusters through a PPP model between the government and trade bodies in the ratio of 65:35. The organisation also plans to leverage NIFT’s (National Institute of Fashion Technology) talent pool for trend forecasting and sophisticated design in handloom products.
Popular export items include home furnishing products like kitchen linen, table cloth, bed furnishing, upholstery, floor covering and curtains. Apart from US and Europe, the popular export destinations, HEPC is exploring markets in Brazil and Russia this year. The council also plans to take up floor space at the expo mart in Greater Noida to promote handloom products.
Mr Sivakannan, however said, “During my tenure, we tried to bring the HS code for handlooms but even after 2-3 years of negotiation, it proved futile. So the success of HEPC’s initiatives will largely depend on effective implementation by the enforcement authorities.”
Numbers, however, as far as the handlooms are concerned prove to be deceptive, because the industry by itself is going through a lean phase overpowered by the presence of power loom and mill sectors. The mood at the Handloom Export Promotion Council (HEPC) nevertheless was upbeat, with officials pinning their hopes on the recent initiatives of the textile ministry to boost the dwindling prospects of the handloom industry.
“We have initiated the development of Handloom Export Zones (HEZ) at various handloom clusters in India to create supply hubs for the export market with an upgraded infrastructure and trained weavers. In Tamil Nadu, the HEZs have been planned at Virudhunagar, Nagercoil, Thiruvannamalai, Kancheepuram and Nagapattinam,” said Joseph Britto, vice-chairman, HEPC. It would take six months for these projects to be implemented.
These export zones would benefit the weavers by increasing their income scale from the present Rs 50 to Rs 100-150 per day. Among the above projects, the HEZ at Nagercoil, at a cost of Rs 61.1 lakh will focus on providing employment for those displaced by the tsunami, while the Thiruvannamalai HEZ, is a one-of-a-kind HEZ for women SHG members. Not surprising, since women constitute 60% of the handloom industry.
Mr Britto added that separate figures for handloom exports were not available since 2003, due to the absence of the HS code for handloom. He said, “The harmonised code or HS code sectorally classifies mill, handloom and power loom products. It has become difficult to monitor handloom export trends since 2003 in the absence of such a code. We have submitted a proposal to the government to implement a separate HS code for handlooms.”
A separate HS code would also help HEPC promote handloom as an environment-friendly, heritage product with socio-economic implications as it’s a major employment provider. On the back of these factors, the HEPC plans to negotiate with WTO for total tariff exemption for handloom exports.
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An interesting export trend observed in the industry is that made-ups (home furnishings) rather than fabrics have become more popular in recent years. Mr Britto feels this is a positive trend because while fabrics are in ample supply in the power and mill sectors, the intricate design and value addition prevalent in the made-ups are features exclusive to the handloom sector.
Mr Sivakannan, former chairman, HEPC, said, “Handloom exports can be revived by promoting creations which are unique to the handloom industry. This includes home furnishings with superior design, which the mill and power loom industries cannot replicate.”
To enhance the design quality of handlooms, the HEPC also plans to set up design studios in important export clusters through a PPP model between the government and trade bodies in the ratio of 65:35. The organisation also plans to leverage NIFT’s (National Institute of Fashion Technology) talent pool for trend forecasting and sophisticated design in handloom products.
Popular export items include home furnishing products like kitchen linen, table cloth, bed furnishing, upholstery, floor covering and curtains. Apart from US and Europe, the popular export destinations, HEPC is exploring markets in Brazil and Russia this year. The council also plans to take up floor space at the expo mart in Greater Noida to promote handloom products.
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Mr Sivakannan, however said, “During my tenure, we tried to bring the HS code for handlooms but even after 2-3 years of negotiation, it proved futile. So the success of HEPC’s initiatives will largely depend on effective implementation by the enforcement authorities.”
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