Weaving change: Why Assam’s handloom sector needs more than recognition

Assam’s textiles have steadily gained visibility in the world of fashion and design, with designers successfully showcasing its rich legacy on prestigious platforms like Lakmé Fashion Week. Yet, this recognition has been long overdue, especially considering that handloom is not only the oldest but also the largest cottage industry in Assam.

Renowned for its intricate designs and diverse textile traditions, Assam’s handloom heritage is sustained by generations of rural weavers, the majority of whom are women. While designers and entrepreneurs often bask in the limelight, it is these women, working tirelessly with inherited looms and traditional skills, who have truly built and sustained this industry.

According to the 4th Handloom Census (2019–20), Assam has the highest number of handloom weavers in India, with over 12.83 lakh individuals engaged in the sector. Remarkably, more than 90% of them are women. Despite this overwhelming participation, weaving remains largely informal and undervalued, most weavers work part-time, juggling agricultural and domestic responsibilities, and are still among the most marginalised workers in the state.

A study by the Indian Institute of Bank Management on Building Sustainable Rural Women Entrepreneurs revealed that 80% of weavers in Assam still operate using traditional business models. Their reliance on age-old handlooms, while culturally rich, has become a limitation in an increasingly competitive market dominated by power looms. The State Government has attempted to protect Assam’s handloom products by banning power loom-made gamusa and mekhela chador, but such measures offer only temporary protection. The core challenges, technology upgradation, skill development, market linkages, and access to finance remain largely unaddressed.

Most weavers in Assam continue to use handlooms handed down through generations. Given that weaving is typically seen as a supplementary activity, households hesitate to invest in upgrading equipment. This results in low productivity and limited capacity for innovation. The average weaver in Assam produces just 5 meters of fabric per day, compared to 7 meters in West Bengal and 25 meters in Rajasthan.

However, even modest interventions can make a significant difference. For instance, organisations like Grameen Sahara have introduced simple, cost-effective upgrades, such as draw-boy attachments (nangol or jala), that significantly enhance production speed without compromising tradition. These locally made enhancements require minimal training and enable women to operate independently.

Although government schemes offer subsidised Jacquard looms, these are often out of reach for marginalised weavers due to high maintenance costs and the lack of affordable design services. Without consistent income or financial buffers, such advanced tools become unsustainable, eventually falling into disuse. In contrast, low-cost and context-specific innovations like the draw-boy strike a more practical balance between tradition and modernity.

Access to finance remains a critical hurdle. While the Self-Help Group (SHG) movement has improved access to microloans, these funds are typically used for purchasing yarn or basic materials, not for long-term business development or infrastructure. Formal banking institutions, burdened by rigid documentation procedures and narrow definitions of entrepreneurship, often overlook women weavers as credible borrowers. As a result, many capable weavers are denied capital despite having viable products and business ideas.

Assam’s handloom sector also suffers from a disjointed value chain. Independent weavers often rely on open markets for raw materials, where yarn quality and pricing are inconsistent. Only a handful of master weavers, who’ve transitioned into entrepreneurship, can procure quality yarn and distribute it through informal systems like adhi (a barter-based model). This lack of streamlined procurement further limits small weavers’ capacity to scale or compete.

Grameen Sahara, through its Udyamini Programme, is working to bridge these systemic gaps. The initiative offers women weavers access to advanced skill training, entrepreneurship support, and digital tools. But beyond technical aid, it also addresses entrenched patriarchal norms that restrict women’s mobility and autonomy. Many weavers, nearly 70% in the programme, sell their products from home to local traders at low prices, constrained by cultural expectations that discourage market participation.

To empower women weavers, any intervention must be holistic, integrating finance, technology, social support, and community sensitisation. It must also recognise that weaving offers more than cultural continuity; it presents a sustainable livelihood opportunity, especially in a state where agriculture is increasingly unreliable due to erratic rainfall and climate stress. The recent drought-like conditions in parts of Assam underline the urgent need to diversify rural incomes.

National Handloom Day, observed every year on August 7, serves as a reminder of the weavers who have preserved India’s textile traditions. But honouring their legacy requires more than symbolic gestures. It calls for bold, systemic changes, ensuring that weavers are no longer invisible labourers, but recognised as entrepreneurs and pivotal contributors to rural economies.

To truly support Assam’s handloom sector, we must go beyond showcasing finished products and start investing in the women who create them. By weaving empowerment into every strand of policy, finance, and innovation, we can help transform this heritage craft into a future-ready enterprise.

By Vijayeta Rajkumari, Consultant, Grameen Sahara