VELLORE/RANIPET: As a mark of protest against the skyrocketing prices of cotton yarn and other raw materials, small-scale powerloom fabric manufacturers in Vellore, Ranipet and Tirupattur districts shut down production for the third consecutive day. They urged the State and Union governments to reduce the prices of the cotton yarn and provide more incentives to the sector.
After starting the strike on Monday, the manufacturers plan to continue the protest till 21 May. The manufacturers said the price of the yarn is unbearable, forcing them to close. VV Deenadayalan, President of Powerloom Fabric Manufacturing and Traders Association told TNIE that, in his 50 years in the industry, he has never seen a spike in prices at this scale.
“The price of 40’s count yarn (thread diameter) has increased from Rs 230 last year to Rs 460 now, pushing up manufacturing costs. The problem is we cannot pass on the price rise to the consumers as they are not ready to buy textiles at this cost,” Deenadayalan said. Buyers don’t think it’s as essential as food, so stocks are piling up, he added.
Deenadayalan further said that the price of the yarn was steadily increasing. “Because of this, we’re not able to deliver the goods at the previously agreed upon prices. While the price of the raw materials more than doubled, the price of the finished items cannot be sold at that cost,” Deenadayalan said. Earlier, the power looms were working for just 20 days in a month and now, as they are shut, this is hurting business badly, he said.
Unlike in the western region, the small scale powerloom units are run as family businesses. They produce domestic textiles like lungis, kerchiefs, chudidhars and sarees. The association claims that more than 5,000 powerloom units are operating each at Vellore, Ranipet and Tirupattur districts apart from the neighbouring districts of Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur.
MPs delegation to meet Union ministers
Chennai: An all-party delegation of MPs from the western districts, led by DMK MP Kanimozhi, will be meeting Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Minister for Textiles Piyush Goyal in New Delhi on Wednesday to request them to immediately resolve the issues faced by weavers and the textile industry in Tamil Nadu. An official release here said Chief Minister MK Stalin has deputed the delegation. The CM had written a detailed letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 16 expressing serious concern over the continuous increase in cotton and yarn prices, and sought immediate remedial measures from the Union Government to help the industry in the State.