Chennamangalam’s handloom weavers tie up with Amazon

Chennamangalam’s famed handloom weavers hope to better their fortunes by riding the e-commerce wave, after the introduction of computerised designs and organic cotton products. They have tied up with Amazon.com to sell their products like Chennamangalam set, mundu and dhoti , which are in the Geographical Indications Registry.

Officials say three of the primary cooperative societies have already registered with Amazon and one more is set to register soon. Most of products from Chennamangalam weavers will be available online. There is a rise in demand for cotton products, including those from organic cotton, say experts. The recently introduced computerised designs are expected to increase the appeal of the traditional cotton products. Besides, weavers were turning to ready-to-wear products to boost sales during Onam, which accounts for about 60 per cent of the annual sales.

Weavers were being given production incentive in addition to wages. Moreover, Rs 15,000 each, was allocated by the government to improve production sheds. Also, training was provided to weave organic cotton products considering their market potential and the first batch of shirts from organic cotton havev been well-received. The societies in Paravur, saw sales turnover of Rs 2.59 crore on a total production worth Rs 2.70 crore during 2013-14.