AMARAVATI: In an attempt to capture growing demand in the international market, APCO, the state handloom weavers’ cooperative society, has decided to make organic handloom clothes.
APCO has decided to train weavers in using organic dyes and methods. APCO will procure new organic dyes manufactured by using base material from pomegranate, orange, sweet orange fruits, neem, ‘haritaki’ (Karakkaya) and sandalwood.
“We have decided to switch to the new mode to grab a decent share in the global market as organic clothes are a big hit on the global platform and our weavers are capable of producing good quality stock,” APCO chairman Chillapalli Venkata Naga Mohan Rao told STOI. He said that they would also utilise yarn produced without using any chemicals to make organic varieties.
Chillapalli said that they have already identified a few expert master weavers to provide training. The chairman said they would provide training to at least 100 handloom weavers from each district to produce organic clothes. “APCO will assure weavers to pick up the entire stock produced with organic dyes,” said Chillapalli.
A delegation of APCO including its chairman Chillapalli Mohan Rao and managing director Ambedkar will meet top executives of the Handloom Exports Council in Chennai on July 14 to devise new strategies to shore up exports of handloom clothes from AP.
Meanwhile, APCO is readying plans to transform handloom cooperative societies in the state to compete in the private market to improve the livelihoods of weavers. APCO has already tied up with online marketplaces and is getting an increasing number of orders from retail customers.
APCO is opening new branded stores in Guntur, Ongole, Tirupati and Kadapa shortly. The organisation has also decided to renovate at least 20 stores across the state to attract the new market.
