10 testing labs for handloom material

Bhubaneswar: The state government has decided to set up 10 raw material testing laboratories to ensure the quality of handloom products. The laboratories would help in testing the quality of yarn, colours, count and features of fabrics and products. Every year, handloom products worth Rs 210 crore are produced by cooperative societies in the state.
"We have to maintain quality to get recognition in the national and international markets.Weavers can test the quality of their raw materials in these state-of-the-art laboratories," said minister handlooms, textiles and handicrafts, Snehangini Chhuria. The government has also decided to set up 19 handloom clusters in different blocks. These are Bargarh, Cuttack, Kalahandi, Patnagarh, Sonepur, Athagarh, Gopalpur, Balasore, Baripada, Berhampur, Boudh and Khurda.
"Weavers are provided with required colours, yarns and other raw materials at subsidy under the National Handloom Development Corporation. Sometimes due to poor quality of the raw materials the final products are not up to the mark," official sources said.
A fabric library would also be set up at Bayan Bhawan, where exclusive works of prominent weavers will be displayed and young weavers will also get training on popular and intricate designs. Besides, this would also be developed as a major tourist attraction of the state, the minister said.
Boyanika, the primary weavers cooperative societies of Odisha, has done business worth Rs 77.58 crore in 2015-16 of which Rs 40 lakh business has been done through e-commerce sites. This year, Rs 100 crore target has been set for Boyanika, Chhuria added.