Making traditional looms spin more money

The demand for Assamese Gamosa woven on traditional handlooms peaks during April for Rongali Bihu festivities. The issue of prohibited Gamosa made on power looms flooding the markets in the state every year also returns during this period. The failure to produce adequate gamosa on handlooms to meet the market demand is seen as a key factor behind the market disruption by cheaper gamosa made on power looms in other states. A pragmatic solution to the problem is increasing the production of GI-tagged traditional Assamese Gamosa to cater to rising market demand. Traditionally, weavers in the state getting an adequate supply of yarn at subsidised rates is crucial to cater to the demand. The traditional weavers getting adequate demand for their handloom products throughout the year is essential to ensure their looms spin more money during the festival season. The Departmentally Related Standing Committee on Development Departments of the Assam Assembly, in one of its reports on Demand for Grants for the Handloom, Textile, and Sericulture Department, pointed out a critical gap in this regard. The committee observed that weavers face difficulty in procuring different types of subsidised yarns due to a lack of a yarn bank at the block level, due to which the weavers must bear more transportation expenditure and time in yarn procurement. The recommendation by the House Committee to the Department to set up a yarn bank at the Weavers Extension Service Unit (WESU) and Handloom Production Centre at the Block level so that weavers can produce more Gamosa and other handloom items to overcome the challenge of competition from power loom Gamosa is a pragmatic recommendation. The department’s earmarking budget for strengthening cotton yarn supply in all the 33 yarn banks in the state has improved the availability of yarn in these, but the problem of availability of subsidised yarn for the majority of weavers nearer to their homes has largely remained unaddressed. As more than 90% of weavers in the state are women, who also have to take care of household chores, taking the responsibility of raising children and travelling too far to procure subsidised cotton yarn for making gamosa has remained an unattractive investment of money and time despite the increasing market demand. The department decided to delegate power to WESU to take measures for a smooth supply of subsidised yarn, but the establishment of a yarn bank at the block level can make a big difference, as it will ensure an institutionalised supply of subsidised yarn to benefit more women weavers. The flagship scheme of Swanirbhar Nari, launched by the state government for the procurement of 33 different handwoven products, including Gamosa directly from weavers through an online portal, has benefitted a section of weavers through government procurement of these handloom products. However, the devil is in the details. Official data shows that while 5.64 lakh weavers have registered in the portal under the flagship scheme, the procurement of 4.10 lakh hand-woven products worth Rs. 16.46 crore benefitting less than 18,000 weavers till February 2024 since the inception of the scheme in 2022-23 speaks volumes about shortcomings in the scheme that needs to be removed. The objective of the scheme to procure benchmarked quality products directly from registered weavers without the intervention of middlemen is a laudable initiative. However, without ensuring a smooth supply of subsidised yarn through yarn banks closer to the weavers’ villages, the procurement guarantee alone cannot act as an incentive for the majority of weavers to increase the production of Gamosa. If a majority of weavers are not producing gamosa on a commercial scale, the rising market demand acts as a pull factor for the supply of illegal gamosa made on power looms to fill the vacuum. Intensified enforcement against the illegal supply and sale of power loom Gamosa has led to the seizure of sizable quantities, but in the absence of reliable data about the market demand and supply of handwoven Gamosa, rushing to the conclusion that the production of indigenous Gamosa has also substantially increased and is benefitting a large section of weavers could be erroneous. Understanding the market dynamics influenced by prices of products is also important for critical supply-side intervention. Powerloom gamosas are much cheaper, but due to the high transportation cost involved in yarn procurement, the gamosas made on traditional looms cost much more. Inflation in food and other essential commodities has limited other expenditures of consumers, and they are willing to compromise on quality if there is a choice in the market for purchasing non-essential items for a lesser price. Production of gamosa on handloom being cost-effective and remunerative for economically backward weavers and its availability in the market at an affordable cost for the majority of buyers can significantly reduce the demand for low-quality power loom gamosas. The government and various stakeholders in the handloom value chain evolving an innovative production and marketing strategy for handloom products, which is a win-win situation for both weavers and buyers, can be the game changer.