Lucknow plays host to national silk exhibition

India, the second-largest producer and the largest consumer of silk, is facing a threat from silk manufacturers from abroad, especially China.

To tackle such threats and provide a stable market for the silk weavers, the National Handloom Development Corporation (NHDC) Limited, under the aegis of Development Commissioner for Handlooms (DCH), has designed a number of schemes for handloom weavers. It also provides assistance in the marketing of handloom products.

The Handloom Corporation also provides support for the organisation of National Handloom Expos/ Special expos (exhibitions) to enhance the popularity of products of one region in another region.

A national-level exhibition-cum-sale of exclusive silk products is on in in Lucknow these days. JK Baweja, managing director, NHDC said, “As the festival season is round the corner, we expect sales of more than Rs 4 crore this year. The handloom sector employs 8.5 million people, directly or indirectly.

This is next only to agriculture. Although, the power loom sector and the technological advancement in weaving pose a threat to the handloom sector, but the exclusiveness of silk products like Pochampalli, Paithani, Kanjivaram, Jamdani, Baluchari, Ikkat, to name a few, still call the shots and are in demand in India and overseas.”

Various state government bodies/ apex societies, primarily handloom weavers’ societies and handloom agencies are participating in the expo.

“Through these expos, the participants not only market their products at the most reasonable rates, but also get to know the customers’ choice with regard to colour, design and weaving for product improvement,” Baweja said.

The exhibitions showcases 83 stalls from 15 states including Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal etc. The major centres for silk work are Varanasi, Azamgarh and Mubarakpur.

Some experts blame the poor state of the handloom sector on the insufficient production of the fabric, while others feel improper marketing of the produce leaves handloom weavers at a loss.

“The manufacturers are not expert at marketing and the marketers are not well-versed with manufacturing. It is, therefore, the responsibility of the government to bring these two face to face. Mostly, the weavers are producing age-old designs, which may not be relevant for the market.

It is very important to identify the market demand and then produce the stuff accordingly,” said Iqbal Ahmad one of the participant from Benaras.