The Tamil Nadu government is implementing various reforms in the handloom sector, including raising weavers' wages and improving marketing, to attract young people to weaving.
A senior official from the handloom department of Tamil Nadu spoke to DT Next regarding the concern that the handloom sector is being adversely affected by a lack of planning, especially in light of the increasing influence of technology and automation in the textile industry.
He added that, despite the state government's numerous initiatives, the sector still grapples with challenges while also pointing out that low wages for weavers remain a concern influencing the choices of young individuals.
According to the official, the new initiatives will focus on innovation and diversification of the handloom products, he also reportedly mentioned, "Service delivery will also be launched to capitalise market opportunity for attracting the youths."
He mentioned that the government has opted to initiate robust branding and improved marketing by partnering with private companies and brands in order to safeguard the handloom market.
He said, "Another key focus area is to up-skill the weavers and induct young generation," continuing, "it has been decided to increase the wage level of weavers and allied workers."
Regarding the shift in paradigm, the official mentioned that efforts are underway to transition from plain looms to pneumatic looms in order to enhance productivity, ensure cost-effectiveness, and alleviate labour-intensive work.
"Shifting manual jacquard to electronic and pneumatic jacquard to infuse new designs are also in the cards," he reportedly said.
He also mentioned plans to transform households into shared workspaces, aiming to make weaving a more lucrative profession.
The department's focus is shifting towards comfortable clothing rather than ornate sarees to appeal to younger generations.
Moreover, it has become crucial to transition the sector from a community-based occupation to a more widely accessible profession for training young individuals and integrating them into the weaving trade, potentially grooming them as future textile entrepreneurs, he said. Meanwhile, R. Kamaraj, a weaver based in Kancheepuram, told DT Next that adapting traditional products with new designs to align with customer preferences is a significant challenge in the handloom industry.
"Duplicate and sub-standard raw materials coming in from China is another issue affecting the industry," he added.
