Handloom weavers in Ernakulam district, mostly those from cooperative societies at Chendamangalam, are in dire straits with about 10 lakh metres of hand-woven materials meant for school uniforms lying unsold with the second and third waves of the COVID-19 pandemic preventing the reopening of schools.
The reopening of the schools this month offers some hope, says T.S. Baby, a veteran of the handloom industry at Chendamangalam, near North Paravur, which has symbolised the ups and downs of the traditional weaving industry in the State.
The school uniform material is worth about ₹2 crore and the lives of hundreds of artisans depend on the disposal of the material, says Mr. Baby adding that the handloom weaving sector had been in a difficult financial situation since the floods of of August 2018.
Weavers say they have virtually been left out of the national financial agenda with the Union Budget 2022-23 ignoring the segment. The Budget has only added to the burden with the cooperative societies unable to sell off the products pending with them over the past three to four years, says Mr. Baby.
The three waves of COVID-19 had prevented the sale of handloom products that are season-oriented. The Onam and Christmas seasons were washouts with little sales, people unable to make use of the discounts being offered through government agencies.
Ajith Kumar Gothuruth, secretary of the Chendamangalam Karimpadam Weaving Cooperative H191, says if the schools reopened as usual during 2022 June, the problem can be overcome. He says weavers do not have a major liability on account of the pending stocks as the raw material has been provided by the government for the uniforms. At the same time, he says, the government is now planning to expand the free uniform supplies to Classes one to ten instead of the earlier decision to give free uniforms only to students in Classes one and seven.
An unprecedented rise in the cost of inputs such as dyes and yarn has added to the burden of the spinners and weavers, says Mr. Baby. The availability of yarn has hit the small weavers at Chendamangalam and other parts of Kerala. The cost of dyes and other inputs too has seen rapid increase in the recent past, he says.
