SUALKUCHI, June 1 - The Assam Apex Weavers and Artisans Cooperative Federation (ARTFED) with hundreds of district and primary spinning and weaving cooperative societies, constituted in 1977, has decided to set up a clothes bank at Sualkuchi to provide marketing facilities to common weavers for their hand woven products. For this purpose a revolving fund of Rs 20 crore is needed.
Mukul Ch Deka, MD, ARTFED while addressing mediapersons recently revealed that ARTFED purchased clothes worth Rs 4.60 crore in 2016-17, Rs 5,10,79, 350 in 2017-18, Rs 5,93,83, 350 in 2018-19 and Rs 6,55, 93,400 in 2019-20.
When asked whether ARTFED prefers the rich entrepreneurs and clothes traders to poor weavers in purchasing clothes, the MD said that sometimes the middlemen collect the clothes from the common weavers and sell it to the traders. The middleman reaps profit selling clothes to ARTFED or other business establishments.
Speaking on the yarn bank run by ARTFED, Deka briefed that 23.102 quintals of mulberry and tasar has been sold to 3602 beneficiaries with 20 per cent subsidy since the opening of yarn bank at Sualkuchi in 2018 till March last.
