Jacquard units forced to cut down production by 30%

SURAT: Fall in demand for jacquard saris across the country has taken the sheen out of 1,000-odd jacquard weaving units in the country’s largest man-made fabric (MMF) hub in the city.
Following fall in the prices of fabrics between Rs 2 per metre and Rs 20 per metre for different varieties, the 1,000-odd jacquard weavers, mostly located in Sachin GIDC, have enforced 30 per cent cut in manufacturing of jacquard fabrics.
Jacquard weavers said while the demand for jacquard saris is weak and the prices of fabrics are falling, yarn spinners have increased the prices by almost Rs 3 per metre. The weavers have been left with no choice but to cut down on production of jacquard fabrics.
Jacquard is weaved on a loom having a jacquard attachment to control individual warps and is used for making brocades, tapestries and damasks. Fabrics of this type are costly because of the time and skill that go into making of jacquard cards, preparing the loom to produce a new pattern, and the slowness of the weaving operation. The jacquard weave usually combines two or more basic weaves, with different weaves used for the design and the background.
There are around one lakh jacquard machines in the 1,000 weaving units in Sachin GIDC. Their daily production is pegged at 30 lakh metre, which has now decreased to almost 20 lakh.
“We have been supplying the fabrics to the markets in Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Orrisa, Chennai and Andhra Pradesh. The jacquard sari demand is falling due to the preference of the consumers for the digitally printed saris,” Jacquard Weavers’ Association president Mahendra Ramoliya told TOI.
He said, “We are still running the units only to protect the workers. Because, jacquard weaving needs skilled workers and we do not want to lose them.”