Carpet Weavers Unlocking their Potential through Producers Company
- 20 June 2021
- Posted By : Yasir Qureshi
Kashmir Hand-knotted carpet has niche market in the world but the returns don’t percolate to the weavers, who with such dexterity and passion create carpets as classic symbols of aesthetics. The poor socio-economic status of weavers, lack of working capital and access to market have forced weavers to work in an exploitative chain of business, leading them to vicious cycle of poverty and pessimism. Many carpet weavers are forced to abandon the craft and move towards other avenues of income. Most of these weavers live on the margins of the socio-economic growth.
However, within a span of just 4 years after the massive floods in year 2014, a riveting story of transformation from being victims of disaster to shareholders in a producers company is unfolding. The carpet weavers from 14 odd villages of Bandipora and Baramulla were severely impacted by the massive floods in year 2014. The damage to carpet raw materials, carpet looms and unfinished carpets had not only disillusioned them but subjected them to huge losses and complete loss of livelihood in some cases. In subsequent years Indo Global Social Service Society (IGSSS) supported these weavers with material support, capacity enhancement and mobilized them into producer groups.
IGSSS with support from NABARD and other international donor agencies, is developing and intensify local initiatives for promoting sustainable livelihoods of marginalized sections of the society, the case of carpet weavers in North Kashmir has been of a particular interest given they have shown tremendous potential for growth and innovation and from being recipients of aid, they are becoming game changers in their own way.
IGSSS, while realizing that the collectivization of carpet weavers into producer organization can emerge as one of the most effective pathways to address the innumerable challenges they face but most importantly it also developed an understanding along with the weavers that the improved productivity and production, access to markets, technology and inputs and can leverage their collective production for higher returns.
The weavers in year 2020-21 have formed Sehar Carpet Producers Company Ltd. and have 317 shareholders and a share capital of 317,000 rupees. The Company have also established raw material bank for weavers, to help them get services at their door steps.
Though in infancy stage coupled with adverse impact of COVID, the Company has started doing business and are reporting encouraging stories of change. The weavers are witnessing increase in their incomes through this platform and plan to diversify their product base to target the market segments where quality products fetch more money