The ‘Special Handloom Expo 2019-20 organised by the Assam Apex Weavers and Artisans Cooperative Federation Ltd (ARTFED) began at Jonai HSS playground in Dhemaji from Wednesday.
The expo, sponsored by Development Commissioner for Handloom under the Union Ministry of Textile, aims to promote marketing of Indian hand-woven textile products and encourage the rural weavers to adopt the trade as way of livelihood.
The ARTFED is organizing the expo under its National Handloom Development Programme (NHDP).
ARTFED also plans to hold such expos at Biswanath and Dudhnoi respectively.
Inaugurating the special event at Jonai HSS playground on Wednesday evening, ARTFED vice-chairman Rupa Kaman urged the rural weavers to adopt handloom activities as major source of earning.
She informed that Assam government, observing the growing demand of handloom products, has taken steps to encourage rural weavers to adopt such activities in commercial purposes.
Kaman earlier opened a ‘Yarn Bank’ set up at Jonai Handloom & Textile office on Wednesday.
She asked the Handloom & Textile officials to take care of the centre and report its function to the authority from time to time.
Explaining objective of the expo, ARTFED managing director Mukul Chandra Deka said the expo would give the opportunity to local weavers to introduce marketing systems of their hand-woven cloths and other finished products.
“The state government is taking steps to encourage rural weavers to adopt handloom activities in commercial purposes,” said Deka.
“We conduct expo in order to introduce the weavers with marketing systems of their hand-women cloths and other finished products,” added Deka while informing that the weavers’ federation is running 33 Yarn Banks and Handloom Sale Centres in different parts of Assam.
“We have opened the Yarn Banks in different district and sub-divisional headquarters to supply quality yarns such as cotton, tossar and polyster to the weavers in subsidized rate,” he maintained.
Among other dignitaries, Jonai Circle Officer Manuranjan Payeng, Handloom & Textile Superintendent (Jonai) Dilip Dutta and officials of ARTFED and Handloom & Textile staffs besides leading citizens of the district attended the inaugural function.
About 65 societies, NGOs and Women SHGs from nine Indian states including Delhi, Haryana and few NE states have put up stalls in the ongoing expo.
The special handloom expo will come to end on December 10.