Co-optex in Tamil Nadu targets Rs 1.5 crore during festival season

CHENNAI: One lakh weavers in Tamil Nadu will benefit from the sale of merchandise at the National Handloom Expo being held at Kalaivanar Arangam, according to Co-optex managing director TN Venkatesh.

He said that Co-optex is hoping to sell Rs 1.5 crore worth hand-woven products during the festival season and 40 per cent of the sale would be doled out to weavers in a bid to keep the traditional weaving industry alive.

A decade ago there were nearly three lakh weavers and now only one lakh are left as the hand-woven weaving sector is slowly dying with younger generation opting for other sectors which are more remunerative.

He said this is the first time Co-optex is hosting the expo during the festival time and that too for such a long tenure.

“Last year, we generated sales of `one crore, but this year we hope the sales will increase to Rs 1.5 crore,” he says.

Weavers from Tamil Nadu will be exhibiting their merchandise in 42 stalls while the remaining 14 stalls have been given to weavers from eight states-Gujarat, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry.

The products, which include sarees and other merchandise, start from the  range of Rs 500 to Rs 50,000.

“We will also be displaying a yellow colour jari saree, which has pure gold and silver jari, and is worth Rs 1.5 lakh,” he said.

Some of the sarees that will be displayed include Rukmani Devi sarees, also known as Kalakshetra sarees.

Now, this has been replicated again in 21 new designs, he said.  Other sarees on display, include ‘sungudi’ sarees from Madurai, Ayaram Butta sarees from Paramakudi, organic cotton sarees from Dindigul, Chettinad sarees woven in Karaikudi with contemporary colours, Karainadu sarees, which became nearly extinct, Chedi butta sarees from Tirunelveli and dupion silks. Wooing Chennaites to the expo, the official said that he can vouch for the sarees to be genuine hand woven products.

“We are also offering 30 per cent discount for the products.”