Weavng Threads of Hope

New Delhi, April 18 2020 - Handloom textiles and crafts hold a special place in Indias cultural heritage; weaving being a source of livelihood for millions of families. Nowhere in the world can so many diverse weaving techniques be found together in one country. The crisis caused by COVID-19 has resulted in a sudden disruption of businesses across the globe and the Indian economy is not immune to this pandemic. Players across the spectrum have felt the effect of the resultant downturn. The handloom sector has, too, been severely affected as with all sectors in the economy with their traditional and contemporary markets for artisans being totally closed. Prime hurdles that COVID-19 has caused resulting abrupt interruption to artisanal livelihoods The sector has experienced sudden stalling of orders as retailers themselves are closed due to the worldwide lockdown and no signs of immediate recovery as the crisis unfolds. Cash flow has stopped, with buyers unable to make payments and no sales happening at all. Buyers are not in a position to place new orders - in the craft sector, orders are planned much in advance as usual lead time required to complete a production cycle is 2 to 3 months. Retail events through which artisans get cash sales may not happen for next few months. Market of the summer season when cotton handlooms sell most will be entirely lost by the time things get back to normal. This not only will create a liquidity crunch, but also severely impact their ability to invest in yarns for creating products for festive seasons (August to November) and winter, spring (October and to February) which are the other 2 major selling seasons for handloom textiles. Indian handlooms have been picking up in the "slow fashion" market internationally, but with this uncertainty, no overseas orders will be forthcoming. Customer priorities may change with tightened budgets Small artisans and producer groups do not have the financial cushioning to hold through such a crisis nor would they get credit supplies from raw material suppliers. Being part of an informal economy, artisans are also not able to access credit from banks and financial institutions. While the government may provide free ration to some extent, the majority of the artisans who earn on a daily basis working for bigger weavers or traders will find it extremely difficult to feed their families and take care of any medical exigencies.

- IANS