Panipat handloom industry on verge of closure

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Panipat, December 13

The city, famous for its handloom industry, is struggling to survive as several industrialists had changed their business, while several units are on the verge of closure.

Handloom products like blanket, bed sheets, curtains, durries were sought after items in Asia once but now these are becoming a thing of the past.

The biggest challenge comes from the cheap Chinese products, including blankets, carpets which have given a blow to the industry here.

Faced with an uncertain future, several industrialists have decided to give a competition to Chinese products and have replaced their machineries with circular knitting machines resulting in higher and qualitative production.

It was the Chinese products which spelt doom for the handloom industry resulting in the closure of around 300 blanket units out of 400, around 300 units out of 550 of bed sheets and curtains, while several others will close soon as their owners cannot bear heavy losses, said Suresh Gumber, president, Blanket Manufacturers Association, Panipat.

“I have stopped manufacturing blankets as the Chinese ones have captured the market,” he lamented.

Jitender Ahlawat, owner of Heritage Overseas, dealing in handloom carpet export, said that it was a good time for them till 2010 but after that they had to struggle to survive the onslaught of Chinese products.

As many as 20 industrialists of the city have replaced their handloom units with the latest machines producing a huge quantity of products, he said.

“Successive governments are also responsible for the poor condition of small scale industries as they have to pay higher electricity rates, besides paying higher wages to the employees in comparison to other states, said Rajinder Popli, president, Blanket Manufacturers Association.

Industrialists started their business with handlooms and later shifted it to power looms and now circular knitting machines which have given some relief to us as the quality of products is good, said Ravinder Ahalwat, owner of Ravisum Processing Unit.

Mink and polar blankets were introduced here from Ludhiana has given a stiff competition to recycled yarn used for the handloom industry, Ahalawat added.