Kerala to Set up Campus Incubators for Handlooms

KANNUR:
Kerala will establish incubation centres for the handloom sector at the Indian Institute of Handloom Technology (IIHT) campus in Kannur and at Nemom in the state capital.

Industries, Coir and Law Minister P Rajeeve made this announcement at the ‘Handloom Conclave 2025’ held at the Rubco Auditorium, here today.

The Industries Department will also establish a Kerala Handloom Task Force to facilitate technology upgrades, marketing, and branding to advance the handloom sector.

The existing cluster system will be expanded from 24 to 50, and handlooms and handweaving will be restructured to become stronger.

The department will also implement a revolving fund scheme, modelled on the coir sector, to address the working capital shortage faced by the handloom sector.

The minister said steps will be taken to ensure weavers receive their wages in a timely manner. The handloom brand will be implemented in all societies.

Priority will be given to societies with handloom brands at exhibitions. Special consideration will be provided to those who produce premium products.

The societies will be permitted to utilise any unused land for diversification purposes. Additionally, training will be provided for all officials within these groups.

The minister stated that these measures were part of the state government’s efforts to address the challenges faced by the handloom sector in Kerala.

The event, which was held at two venues, was organised under the auspices of the Directorate of Handlooms and Textiles, Government of Kerala.

The one-day event, was inaugurated by Rajeeve.

Panel discussions at the summit focused on topics such as “Handloom: New Times, New Approach” and “Handloom Sector: Challenges and Alternative Solutions.”

Key issues addressed during these discussions included the extension of handloom uniforms to all schools, the implementation of a modern marketing system for selling products, mandatory registration of authorised users to help identify counterfeit products, utilising surplus funds from primary cooperative financial institutions for the handloom sector, providing medical facilities for handloom workers, and incorporating advanced technologies.

The main challenges facing the handloom sector were competition from powerloom products, difficulties in identifying genuine handloom items, a shortage of new products and yarns, a lack of innovation in new-generation products, and a shortage of skilled workers, technicians, and infrastructure.

The concluding session, chaired by Shri Rajeeve was inaugurated by Assembly Speaker AN Shamseer.

KV Sumesh MLA, KK Shailaja Teacher MLA, M Vijin MLA, P Gopinathan, Principal Secretary of the Industries Department, APM Muhammed Haneesh; Director – Coir, Annie Jula Thomas, and Organising Committee chair TK Govindan Master and others participated.

Dr KS Kripa Kumar, Handloom Textiles Director, outlined the steps the government has taken in response to the recommendations from the Handloom Expert Committee’s report.

The summit drew over 1,500 participants, including representatives of handloom societies and workers.