‘GST is death knell for handloom sector’

Readied by a batch of new weavers, the industry is quietly waging other battles to stay relevant and sustainable. While being constantly compared to power loom products that are priced cheaper, the recent GST at five per cent is looming as a serious threat to the weaving industry.

Latha Tummuru, incharge of DAMA, which has been working in the field of handloom for the last two decades, talks about the campaign that has been running on Change.org, seeking to end GST in handloom textiles. The petition has garnered over 8,000 signatures.“Although this government has been talking about handloom and handicrafts since the beginning of its term, it is strange that it has imposed GST on the sector. This is an informal sector and making it compliant with a tax system is a major setback to weavers, many of whom lack formal education” she says. 

With five per cent GST, something that costs Rs 3,000 will accrue an additional Rs150. “The resulting price rise will end up forcing customers to look at cheaper options. This defeats the very purpose of promoting handlooms,” she adds.

DAMA, which works with 22 villages in seven districts in the Andhra- Telangana belt like East Godavari, Srikakulam, Krishna, Medak and Adilabad, is facing stiff competition from power loom products that have flooded the market. Chennai, which is a good market for Andhra weaves and crafts like the Kalamkari and Ikkat, is a hotspot for power loom options. “We are now explaining to our customers that anything that is priced at Rs 80 or less per metre is not handloom,” adds Tummuru. 

The upcoming show, titled Colours of Nature, includes sarees, fabric and dupattas, is a showcase of work by young weavers. “We have been training weavers to use natural dyes in place of chemicals that made their way into the market a century ago. The ones we trained earlier have retired due to old age. So, we worked with a new set of weavers. They have come up with new hues like marigolds, and pinkish yellow with onion peels, etc.,” she adds.