Technical textiles offer great potential for handloom sector: minister

A focus on technical textiles along with product diversification would help expand the textile value chain and improve income generation for weavers and their families, textile minister Giriraj Singh has said.

Speaking at the inaugural function of the Special Handloom and Handicraft Exhibition-cum-Sale at the 43rd India International Trade Fair (IITF) in New Delhi on Saturday, the minister emphasised the importance of carbon fibres in the textile industry and the need for India to focus on all the 12 verticals in technical textiles.

The minister was referring to the 12 main applications of technical textiles, which include Transport, Medical and hygiene, Industrial products and components,

Agriculture, Horticulture and fishing, Home, Clothing components, Packaging and containment, Construction – building and roofing, Geotextiles in civil works, Sport and leisure, Protection and safety and Ecological protection.

The government has allocated Rs1,500 crore for R&D in technical textiles and the handloom sector should make full utilisation of this, he said.

India has the world’s largest handloom ecosystem that is both sustainable and energy efficient, he said, adding that with its zero-carbon footprint and near zero use of energy, and water, the handloom industry can lead the world which is moving towards sustainable production.

The Special Handloom and Handicraft Exhibition at the iconic Bharat Mandapam in the national capital, has 206 stalls displaying a variety of handloom and handicraft products from across 27 states.

There are six exclusive stalls displaying tribal textiles with the theme of `Tribal Treasures of Indian Textiles’ besides live demonstration of handloom and handicrafts like Kani shawl (J&K), Tangaliya/Kutchi shawl (Gujarat), Kullu/Kinnauri shawl (Hmachal), Loin loom (Manipur and Nagaland), Horn and Bone craft (UP), Bhagalpuri silk (Bihar), Bagh print (Odisha).

The exhibition has business-to-business (B2B) interaction sessions of retailers/brands etc with handloom weavers.

The handloom and handicraft sector is part of India’s rich and varied cultural heritage and provides livelihood to 35 lakh people, both direct and indirect – making it the second-largest employer after agriculture. 

Handloom weaving and handicrafts have differing traditional values for each region of the country, with unique products representing each region.

The handloom sector offers a rich variety of textiles such as Banarasi, Jamdani, Baluchari, Madhubani, Kosa, Ikkat, Patola, Tussar silk, Maheshwari, Moirang Phee, Baluchari, Phulkari, Laheriya, Khandua and Tangaliya from across the country.

Handicrafts include Madhubani painting, Warley painting, Art metal ware, Kathputli, Hand block printing, Chikankari, Tie & dye, Wall hangings, Terracotta, Imitation jewellery etc. Both handloom textiles and handicrafts attract customers from across the globe.

Besides, the central government has launched various schemes for branding and GI tagging of high-quality products with zero defect and zero environmental impact, for global promotion of handlooms and handicrafts.