India: Weavers shortage hits traditional silk sector
Author:
admin
PublishDate:
2007-07-17 13:56:00
Hit:
261
GUWAHATI, July 14 — A hiatus in the flow of weavers from the Bodo and Rabha-dominated areas has caused a shortage of these artisans in Sualkuchi and other traditional commercial silk fabric weaving clusters of the State. Increase in the number of silk handlooms is also to be blamed for this development.
This is the assertion made by Scientist – C of the Central Silk Board (CSB) S N Mishra. He was talking to The Assam Tribune. He said that beginning of silk weaving in the areas dominated by the Bodos and the Rabhas and the increase in the number of silk handlooms in the old clusters by about four times led to the shortage of weavers in these traditional clusters.
In 1976, the number of silk handlooms in the State was 6,000, now it is between 25,000 and 30,000. Of them, around 25,000 are engaged in the mulberry sector and around 5,000 are engaged in the muga / tassar sector. In addition to these, it is estimated that about 60,000 non-commercial eri silk looms are also operating in the State.
All these looms need trained weavers. This has resulted in increased bargaining power of the skilled silk weavers, who are predominantly women. They have started charging an advance of Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 per head before joining the master weavers or loom owners.
In this respect, the situation may be kept congenial for the industry if the insurance firms interfere to protect the amounts paid as advances to the weavers. Also, there should be professional training institutes to train more number of quality weavers with campus recruitment facilities, said the CSB scientist.
Meanwhile, many Assamese-speaking communities have started sending their girls and boys to this profession and they are replacing the Bodos and Rabhas. Otherwise, there would have been a big vacuum of weavers in the commercial silk weaving sector of the State.
However, the rate of replacement of the withdrawn weavers is not corresponding and this has resulted in frequent changes in allegiance by the weavers. This is hampering production, he said.
He suggested that proper arrangements should be made to meet this challenge. But warned that switching over to the existing types of power looms might not be favourable for the country at this juncture. Because, this will lead to more dependence on Chinese yarns.
The only thing the country can do in this regard is to concentrate more on innovating the power looms that can weave the Indian silk yarns like the Assamese pat, muga and eri on profit-basis.
Till then, the country will have to regulate its power loom production in silk sector and continue to allow the handlooms to dominate the sector with their loom-finished fabrics, said the CSB scientist.
Source: Industry Website