KAKINADA: Collector H Arun Kumar underscored the need to protect the handloom sector, on which a large number of people depend for their livelihood, by encouraging people to buy hand-wooven clothes, near here on Sunday.
Participating in a walk organised on the occasion of National Handloom Day, the Collector said that the East Godavari district is famous for its handloom clothes and the sector has good potential for growth here.
In order to spread awareness among the youth and to boost sales, he said that special awareness drives should be organised among the college students. Opening up of handloom and textile counters in colleges across the district will boost sales, he said and added that the handloom weavers should also introduce new designs to suit the tastes of the youth.
The Collector also urged people to wear handloom clothes at least once in a week.
Organising handloom expos on a regular basis, bringing the various handloom varieties under one roof and strengthening of marketing facilities by the handloom workers instead of depending on government for each and everything would pave the way for making the sector self-reliant.
NABARD assistant general manager KVS Prasad said that the organization is providing loans to weavers of handloom sector, and urged them to bring new designs to cater to the needs of the people.
Handloom department officials and others were present.