The Hindu Business Line : ‘Lack of direct access to producers locks up handloom biz flow’

Coimbatore, Aug. 29 Despite India accounting for 85 per cent of the global handloom products manufacture, the domestic handloom textile sectors’s business flow still remained locked up for want of a direct access to actual handloom producers with the bulk global buyers keen to source these products.

potential

The potential of India’s handloom textiles is, therefore, trapped at the traditional master-weaver-wholesaler-distributor marketing network. The three-layered marketing nexus has only served to cost add-ups at every stage between the actual manufacturers and the end-users of handloom goods without contributing to any real value addition, according to Mr D.G. Ladha, Chief Executive Officer of Handlooms.com, the vertical business-to-business portal on handloom textiles.

Talking to newspersons here, Mr Ladha said the bulk importers of handloom products from India are currently put to difficulty right from knowing the genuine handloom weavers as different from those who seek to camouflage powerloom products and their strengths/ability to meet the fashion trends, designs, colours, customisations besides patent and delivery compliances. The highly fragmented/ dispersed nature of the handloom weaving clusters spread across different states too has added to the improper information jumble on the profiles of handloom weavers/master-weavers. This is despite the fact that India’s handlooms commanded high value through distinct regional flavour and feel of products and the flexibility to adopt customisation.

Right information

Mr Ladha, who had over two decades of exposure in handloom printing and design, said that given the right information access to the country’s hue of handloom clusters, many multinational retailers/stores are eager to establish direct business link with the handloom weavers in India, which would enable increase in their earning levels through elimination of cost layers presently perched in their marketing system. This would also facilitate removal of certain hurdles confronting the weavers such as finance, logistics and infrastructure bottlenecks.

Mr Ladha’s B2B portal launched early this month gives out information on the profile of handloom manufacturers/masterweavers, product-wise details and services and it carries the data of over 500 manufacturers/master-weavers across the handloom clusters.

In addition to this, the portal also offers textile consultancy services.