AGMC to procure handloom products from source: Weavers set to be freed from tyranny of middlemen

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: With a view to ending economic tyranny of weavers by middlemen, the state's Handloom and Textiles Department has decided to directly procure handloom products from the weavers from next week onwards. This move will benefit 4.8 lakh women across the state, who are registered weavers under the department.

This significant decision has been taken under the Swanirbhar Naari scheme launched by the state government in the middle part of last year, under which an online portal was opened for weavers producing benchmark handloom products to register themselves. The registration was linked with Aadhar cards.

The state government had earmarked Rs 76 crore for the scheme in the state Budget for 2022-2023, out of which Rs 38 crore has been already released for procurement of handloom products directly from the registered weavers.

The Handloom and Textiles Department will pay the weavers via the direct benefit transfer (DBT) system, and the price for each product will comprise cost of raw material, labour cost and an additional 15 per cent profit margin on top of material and labour expenditure. The rates for various benchmark handloom products will be fixed by an experts' committee, taking into account size, quality and quantity of the product concerned. A maximum of 100 units of benchmark handloom products will be procured directly from each eligible registered weavers.

Starting next week, 30 procurement centres will be set up district-wise, with the Assam Government Marketing Cooperation (AGMC) acting as the nodal procurement agency. The AGMC will sell the procured product to customers by adding a profit margin of 10 per cent to the procurement price. This will ensure a fair price and steady market for the registered weavers, besides adding to the income of the AGMC.

Sources said that while proliferation of powerloom-made gamosas has already been checked as a result of GI tag being awarded to handloom-made gamosas, the new system of procurement and sale will soon rid the local markets of other powerloom-made benchmark products as well.

Altogether 31 benchmark handloom products of various ethnic groups of Assam will be procured under the Swanirbhar Naari scheme, including Karbi Anglong's poh fabric. The sources said that the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) has already initiated the process for obtaining patent and GI tag for various traditional attire and cloth of the Karbi community.

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