Assam government bans power loom made Mekhela Sador

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Mar 7, 2023

The Government of Assam has banned the sale of traditional weaves Mekhela Sador and Gamusa made on power looms ahead of the Rongali Bihunseason. This has caused turmoil for power loom manufacturing units in garment hub Surat. 

Surat-based power loom businesses producing Mekhela Sador and Gamusa have asked the government for help to resolve what they see as a threat to the livelihoods of weavers in their district, ET Bureau reported. Manufacturing businesses in Surat supply on average over 60% of the Mekhela Sador and Gamusa sold in the state of Assam and a significant portion of this is made using power looms. 
 
“This decision, on one hand, will impact around 700 to 800 traders and 300 to 400 weavers along with the labourers associated with the looks producing Mekhala Sador in Surat that has a turnover of around Rs 3,000 crore annually,” said the Federation of Surat Textile Traders Association’s general secretary Champalal Bothra, the Economic Times reported. 

Mekhela Sador and Gamusa produced on power looms can be made a lot faster then their handloom counterparts and thus cost significantly less. The Assam government is keen to promote sustainable and traditional handloom practices with this ruling but weavers in Surat are petitioning the Ministry of Textiles to reverse the ruling, fearing that textiles which have already been made but are yet to be delivered will not be paid for.