Handloom sector

Why is in news? Wool Fab- Celebrating Handloom Haat begins for visitors

Wool Fab, an exclusive handloom exhibition of woolen product started today in Handloom Haat, Janpath, New Delhi.

The exhibition will be open to public from 11am to 8pm for fourteen days up to 14th February 2023.

Woolen handloom products drawn from some of the exotic locations of India are on display and sale at the exhibition. A brief list is given below:

Gujarat - Bhujodi Shawl, Stoles, Chamak Shawl, Patang Shawl, Jari Mirror Shawl

Jammu & Kashmir - Kanishawl, Pashmina Shawl, Woolen Dress Material, Stoles

Himachal Pradesh - Kullu Shawl, Muffler, Tweed, Himachal Cap

Maharashtra – Ghongadi

Leh - Pashmina Shawl

Uttarakhand - Loi, Donkha, Blanket, Shawl, Pankhi

Rajasthan - Pattu, Jacket, Blanket

Uttar Pradesh - Shawl, Woolen Dress Material, Jacket, Durry

Government of India has launched the “Handloom Mark” scheme for handloom products and “India Handloom Brand” scheme for branding of high-quality handloom products with zero defects and zero effect on the environment to encourage and give a distinct identity to the products, apart from highlighting the sustainability and uniqueness of the products

It also serves a guarantee for the buyer that the product being purchased is genuinely handwoven

All the exhibitors at the Wool Fab have been encouraged to display the ‘Handloom Mark’ and ‘India Handloom Brand’ tag on the products and thus aim to improve the earnings of the handloom weaver community.

Handloom sector is a symbol of our country’s rich and varied cultural heritage. It is a traditional and still futuristic sector with focus on sustainable production.

The handloom sector of India consists of 35 lakh handloom workers. The art of handloom weaving has traditional values attached to it and each region has exquisite varieties.

The uniqueness of woolen products such as Kani shawl, Pashmina Shawl, Kullu Shawl, Jacket, Muffler, Stoles, Coat, Woolen Suits to name a few attracts customers across the globe with exclusives weaves, designs and traditional motifs.

Over the period of more than 2 decades, this exhibition is an initiative of the office of Development Commissioner for Handlooms, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India through National Handloom Development Corporation (NHDC) Ltd. to provide direct access to the handloom woolen weavers to market their products to consumers in various cities of India.

Coinciding with 75 years of Independence, there will be 75 Stalls including thematic display of handloom products, live loom demonstration and exhibition cum sale by weavers from across India.

Handloom sector:

The handloom sector of India is one of the biggest unorganized economic activities. The handloom industry in India has a long tradition of outstanding artisanship that represents and preserves vibrant Indian culture.

India's handloom artists are globally known for their unique hand spinning, weaving and printing style.

The handloom industry is the country's largest cottage industry, with 23.77 lakh looms.

It is also the second-largest employment provider in the rural region employing more than 3 million people in direct and allied activities.

The handloom sector of India has the advantage of being less capital intensive, eco-friendly, having less power consumption and the ability to adapt to market conditions.

According to the Handloom Census 2019-20, the industry employs about 3,522,512 handloom workers across the country. The industry primarily employs women workers with a share of 72.29% of the total handloom workers.

The majorly exported handloom products from India are mats and mattings, carpets, rugs, bedsheets, cushion covers and other handloom articles. The home textile constitutes over 60% of India's total handloom exports.

The total linen products made from handlooms, i.e. cotton, bed linen, toilet linen, kitchen linen, bed sheets, napkins, pillowcases, cushion cases, table cloths, etc. had a share of about 23.5% in 2020-21 exports.

The major handloom export centers are Karur, Panipat, Varanasi & Kannur where handloom products like Bed linen, Table linen, Kitchen linen, Toilet linen, Floor coverings, embroidered textile materials, curtains etc. are produced for export markets. During April 2021-February 2022, India exported handloom products worth Rs. 1,693 crore (US$ 229 million).

India exports handloom products to more than 20 countries in the world. Some of the top importers are the US, the UK, Spain, Australia, Italy, Germany, France, South Africa, Netherlands and UAE. Some of the other handloom importers from India are Canada, Brazil, Greece, Belgium, Chile, Denmark, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

US is the biggest importer of handloom products from India, consistently the top importer for the past 8 years.