National Level Task Force on Handlooms formed

22 Dec '11

5 min read

The focus areas of the Task Force are marketing, training & designing, entrepreneurship in handloom industry, productivity enhancement, procuring of raw material, analyzing the problems faced by major buyers and exporters, examine and recommend improving the industry affected in North & East provinces” Minister Bathiudeen announced.

The Task Force will review its progress in the first week of January 2012 and will begin implementing the initial recommendations before the end of January itself.

Among the tasks the Task Force will initially begin are combining the micro and SME segments of the handlooms industry, developing the Design Centre at Moratuwa towards a Centre of Excellence level, initiate and mediate negotiations between the weavers and the private sector buyers through organising effective buyer seller meetings, bringing in new innovations especially in design and development, work towards diversification of the basket of looms.

Sri Lanka's handloom sector is one of the low cost but high earning industries. Its annual production exceeds six million metres of looms with an estimated annual production value of Rs 1500 Mn ($ 13.19 Mn) all of which are swallowed by both local and international demand.

The production is labour intensive and the industry consumes less electricity & utilities while generating higher employment. At present, there are 511 weaving centres with 2971 weavers and more than 10000 looms in Sri Lanka assisted by 22 dying houses. More than 15000 personnel are engaged in the handloom industry.

The key Lankan provinces for handlooms are the Wayamba, Western, and Central provinces. The eastern regions of Sri Lanka too were reputed for handlooms but the 2004 Tsunami disaster inflicted damage on the eastern production but despite this, eastern handlooms continue to command buyer appeal. The handloom textile export target for 2011 set by the EDB under the Ministry of Industries is US $ 1.29 million (Rs 146 million).

Ms Haoua Cheick, the USAID/VEGA Expert who is currently on her second assignment in Sri Lanka on the promising Peace Collection, said: “This is wonderful. This is what the Sri Lankan handlooms sector really needs. This was in fact one of my initial recommendations when I first came to Sri Lanka in August this year. Another supporting Task Force is also need to be formulated but as of this moment it is a major step since it brings in value and the professional structure to the industry.

Weaving has always been traditional practice therefore it is very important that you revive it for its very continuity.” Ms Cheick will be traveling to Jaffna, Vavuniya, Mannar, Mullathivu, Kilinochchi, Polonnaruwa, Anuradhapura, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara during the next three weeks to finalize the descriptive materials required to support the product range.

Ministry Of Industry & Commerce