The chairman of the Southern India Mills’ Association (SIMA), S.K. Sundararaman, said that the Central and State Governments have to declare a particular plan to improve the preparatory procedures for hand weavers.
He stated during the opening of the South India Textile Research Association’s (SITRA) annual technology conference in Coimbatore on Thursday that the handloom community, which has struggled with expensive production, treatment, and disposal of dyeing effluents, would benefit from a study conducted by SITRA on the dyeing and sizing of yarn intended for the handloom weaver society in package dyeing machines. It was possible to cut the price of dyed yarn by almost 35 per cent. The handloom industry used very antiquated warp and weft preparation techniques, which the study addressed.
Governments should provide yarn subsidies for package-dyed yarn in order to benefit the handloom industry as well as spinning mills. Instead of using traditional hank yarn dyeing, the Governments should implement a unique handloom preparation technology upgrade program that encourages package dyeing and sizing with zero liquid discharge facilities.
Tamil Nadu’s industry ought to concentrate on value-added goods, especially high-value man-made textiles and technical textiles. The small and medium-sized textile producers in each cluster must be consolidated, value-added products must be prioritised, and the nominated business of reputable brands must be acquired. “We must set standards for manufacturing value-added and distinctive textiles and apparel items in nations like Italy, Japan, Taiwan, and others,” he stated.
In the past year, SITRA has concentrated on its three main activities: training, consulting, and research, according to E. Sathyanarayana, vice-chairman of the council of administration. It worked on 37 projects, two of which were sponsored. The remaining projects were started internally while taking into account the demands of the industry at the time.
SITRA completed 141 consulting tasks on a wide range of specialised topics at the express request of mills. The physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of more than one lakh fibre, yarn, and fabric samples were examined.
