The power loom clusters in Coimbatore and Tirupur districts have not adopted technology much and do not have trained manpower which is affecting production. They need to look at upgrading technology and should diversify to varieties of fabrics to get better prices, according to industry sources.

With declining farming activity and additional benefits available in Sultanpet and Annur blocks (as they are declared as backward areas), more number of power looms are coming up across the two districts instead of upgrading the existing ones in Coimbatore and Tirupur districts. Hence, there is an increase in production as a result the prices also do not go up.

Last two years, the powerlooms clusters in Coimbatore and Tirupur districts had been going through difficult times with fluctuations in demand, problems in implementation of revised wages for job-working and increase in power costs.

The Coimbatore and Tirupur districts had 1.5 lakh power looms four years ago, it was two lakh looms now. The basic product manufactured here is grey gada fabric. And most of these are basic power looms.

According to chairman of Southern India Mills’ Association, M. Senthil Kumar, large-scale units are able to market the fabric easily and in Tamil Nadu the number of such units is less. Almost 95 percent of fabric production in the country comes from the unorganised sector. And, 75 per cent of fabric is from the basic power looms.

According to P.Kumaraswamy, secretary of the Coimbatore District Job Working Powerloom Unit Owners’ Association, only 10 percent of the units in Coimbatore and Tirupur districts have gone in for semi-automation.

The job-working units spend one fourth of the wages towards power cost. Hence, the government, both the Central and State, should give 50 percent subsidy for the units to go in for solar power and should establish a marketing facility so that the weavers can sell directly to the buyers.

Textile Commissioner Kavita Gupta said that power looms have different schemes to upgrade. Under the A-TUFS, the units get capital subsidy to go in for new shuttleless looms. Under the in-situ upgradation of power loom scheme, the units get Rs. 15,000 as subsidy for semi-automation. If the semi-automatic looms should be upgraded into rapier looms, the subsidy is Rs. 25,000. In the case of upgrading a basic power loom into a rapier loom, the subsidy is Rs. 40,000. The total cost will work up to Rs. 80,000 and 50 percent will be available as subsidy.

She further said that the Union Ministry of Textiles disbursed Rs. 102 crore in 2015-16 to power loom units under the in-situ scheme. Most of the beneficiaries are in the south, in Coimbatore region. The Ministry is also promoting the scheme through door-to-door awareness campaigns.