TENKASI: More than 15,000 powerloom weavers in and around Sankarankovil town have planned to stage a strike from April 18 to 30 condemning the State and Union governments for the price hike of the hank yarn.
According to Master Weavers' Association and Textile Weavers' Association, the weavers have planned to stage various forms of protests including fasting demanding the State government take steps to form a tripartite committee including the government representatives, yarn manufacturers, and weavers for the fair price fixation.
Secretary of Master Weavers' Association T S A Subramanian said, "Around 30 lakh families across Tamil Nadu are depending on six lakh powerloom units. In Sankarankovil alone, nearly 20,000 families' livelihoods depend on 4,000 powerloom units. Each month, we are paying `1 crore as GST on our production and another `50 lakh GST on purchasing `10 crore-worth hank yarn."
He added that the price of a yarn bundle, weighing 4.75 kg, has increased from `1,455 in August 2020, to `2,385 in April 2022. "We have faced 64% of the price hike in a short period. While our business was already affected by GST and Covid-19, we are not in a position to increase the price of the sarees. Even though the Union government reduced the tax by 11% on imported cotton, the price of the yarn keeps increasing. Meanwhile, the hoarders are illegally keeping a huge stock of the yarn which increases its price."
Subramanian further said the weavers had already petitioned Chief Minister M K Stalin, Minister for Handloom and Textiles R Gandhi, Chief Secretary V Irai Anbu, and other officials seven times with their demands, including banning the export of hank yarn.