SOCIETY
Handloom weavers protest against Chinese
imitations flooding Indian markets
Varanasi:
Scores of handloom weavers took to streets on
Thursday in Varanasi, famous for its world renowned
Banarasi sarees, against the cheap quality Chinese
imitation products flooding the market. The Banarasi
saree, named after Varanasi's old name, Banaras, is
the city's most famous export item. The Banarasi saree
that became popular during the Mughal era, is a cottage
industry for millions of people around Varanasi. The
Banarsi saree industry has also been adversely affected
due to the import of cheap Chinese fabric, official
reports say. Powerloom owners have been producing
cheap imitation products at various places, helped
by computer-assisted copying of designs. According
to protestors cheap imitation products are doing roaring
business while highly skilled weavers who produce
the original product suffer. When weavers had less
work, some women weavers shifted to zardozi but there
too their livelihood prospects were dimmed by the
import of a Chinese machine.
The
weavers lamenting loss in business due to imitations
of the Banarasi sarees being sold at less prices,
said they were forced to take to streets to make their
pleas heard to the authorities. "Earlier we used to
do good business in Banarasi sarees, but slowly it
started falling, because of the Chinese sarees which
are being sold at lesser price than our sarees. Banarasi
sarees require more labour, money and expensive raw
material, but people are selling imitation of Banarasi
sarees in cheap quality Chinese material, so our business
is being affected badly. After facing lot of hardship
we have today decided to take to streets as for how
long can we go on living in penury?" said Razia Begum,
a protester. The weavers also want the government
to award patent to the Banarasi sarees, in order to
save them from cheap imitations. The weavers also
sent a memorandum to Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh
with their list of demands. The business has seen
a major slump in last few years, forcing many weavers
to adopt alternative livelihood like working as construction
worker, or pulling rickshaw or migrating to other
cities in search of work. According to data available
through Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO's) working
with the weavers, the number of people employed in
the once thriving industry has reduced from around
700,000 people to 250, 000 people only.
-Nov
6, 2008
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