| Home
> AndhraPradesh |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
AP's 'tie 'n dye' designs to adorn Air-India staffPochampally saris take wings!
http://www.expresstextile.com/20040226/fabricsgarments02.shtm
Fashions may come and fashions may go, but for Air-India (A-I),
tradition seems to be the beauty. The airline's ground staff will soon be
draped in the ethnic centuries-old Pochampally saris. And they will fly on
Andhra's exclusive weave, Pochampally, three months from now. All this,
courtesy a sleepy village called Pochampally, in Nalgonda district of Andhra
Pradesh.
Here about 5,000 handloom craftspersons weave traditional designs called the
'tie and dye' or 'Ikkat'. The Andhra Pradesh State Handloom Weavers'
Co-operative Society (APCO) has now made a dent into the elite market by
offering the famous Pochampally 'tie and dye' silk saris to Air-India, Mr P L
Panda, advisor (technical and design), APCO said. "This is the first time that
Air-India is giving Ikkat saris to its staff. With a view to encouraging the
handloom sector, APCO will supply about 6,400 silk saris at an approximate cost
of Rs 1 crore initially," he says. The order, being worked upon by about 1,000
Ikkat weavers, is expected to be ready by the end of March. Looking at the
demand for these saris, we are expecting about Rs 10 crore worth of business by
the end of this year. APCO has also approached other airlines for selling these
fabrics. The state govt has already filed for patent rights for brand
Pochampally under the category of geographically identified products. The
designs for A-I have been woven in four colours - green, blue, magenta and leaf
green. The yarn has been specially procured from Mysore, Karnataka. On an
average, each sari is priced between Rs 1,200 and Rs 5,000. And after saris, it
would be neckties for men and then it would be the turn of the salwar kameez!
Handloom Scenario and the Structure of Co-op. Societies :
The handloom societies in Andhra Pradesh are organised as a two tier
sructure with the primary societies in the village level called Primary
Handloom Weavers' Cooperative Societies (PHWCS) and the APEX Society at the
State Level called A.P. State Handloom Weavers' Cooperative Society Ltd.,
(APSHWCS), popularly called APCO. By 1982-83 there were 2,115 primary weavers'
cooperative societies in the State as against 1,024 Societies in 1975-76; 1,690
in 1977-78 and 1,932 in 1980-81. The number of societies almost doubled within
eight years between 1975-76 and 1982-83 and this enormous increase can be
attributed to the initiative of the Government who encouraged cooperativisation
in order to ensure orderly flow of funds and easy monitoring of its integrated
growth and development.
By early 80's itself, the Government found many socities to be either defunct
or running in great losses and it was decided to merge the societies under the
Viability Programme and about 668 Cooperatives were liquidated, 622 Societies
merged with 323 Viable societies and in all there were 825 Societies in the
State by end 1983. Again there was a marginal increase in the number of
cooperatives in the subsequent years and by 1995 about 1,053 registered
societies were affiliated to the Federal Weavers' Society, i.e., the A.P. State
Handloom Weavers' Co-op. Society Limited (APSHWCS), APCO.
Since the handloom weavers have been facing problems both in getting inputs as
well as in marketing their finished products, the creation of an APEX Society
was thought of to address these twin problems of the timely availability of
inputs and effective marketing strategy. Further, the Government is aware that
protection to the sector is required to be continued because of the pious
obligation to protect the heritage of the State and support is required to be
continued to offset the built-in cost handicap of the handlooms, the focus of
all its policy has been to provide a level playing field so as to enable the
weaver to stand up on his own and face the market in a level playing field.
Towards this end, the entire budget outlay of the Department of Handlooms and
Textiles of Government of India amounting to about Rs.10.00 - 15.00 crores per
annum and Central Assistance of an equal tune is being pumped into the handloom
sector.
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Andhra Pradesh State Handloom Weavers' Cooperative Society
Ltd., (APCO) is the APEX Handloom Cooperative Society of Andhra Pradesh. The
Society was registered in the year 1976 with registered No.T.P.W.44 under the
Andhra Pradesh Cooperative Societies Act 7 of 1964 with the following main
objectives, inter alia, among others :-
-
To purchase raw materials and appliances, tools and machinery including spares
as may be required for the industry and to sell the same to the
member-societies ;
-
To purchase or receive for sale finished products of the member-societies and
sell the same to the best advantage by opening Sales Units, Godowns,
Exhibitions etc., within and outside the State;
-
To purchase and supply other requirements of its member-societies;
-
To establish and run sales units within and outside the area of operation for
Exhibition and sale of products of member-societies;
-
To hold, own, establish and hire processing units to undertake and provide
processing facilities including dyeing, marcerizing, printing and furnishing
etc., for all type of yarn and varieties of cloth, to the member-societies and
to other institutions and individuals on hire on job work basis;
-
To advise and render assistance to member-societies in preparation of
production programmes, design development, product diversification and such
qualitative improvement as may be necessary in the products produced by the
member-societies to be in tune with the consumer tastes and market demand;
-
To arrange for the training of weavers sponsored by the member-societies in
improved methods of weaving and latest techniques and also for the training of
its own employees in sales techniques, accountancy and business administration
etc;
|
|
|
|
|
APCO is, thus, basically meant to extend
marketing support to its affiliated Primary Cooperative Weavers' Societies
registered under the cooperative fold in the State. The APCO is providing
direct employment to over 1.00 lakh weavers and indirect employment to about
4.00 lakh people in the (23) districts of the state. The Society is working for
the economic development and welfare of the weavers by
-
Providing marketing support for the sale of handloom cloth;
-
Supplying yarn requirement and other inputs for cloth production;
-
Liaision on behalf of the Primary societies with Government Agencies for
availing financial assistance and support under various developmental and
welfare schemes;
-
Marketing reliable handloom fabrics at affordable prices to customers both in
the domestic and export market;
-
Catering to the livery requirement of Government Departments / Agencies such as
Tribal Welfare, Social Welfare, APSRTC, ACASH, etc.,
|
|
|
|
|
The APEX Society is managed by a Board of Management comprising
of 31 Directors representing each of the 23 Districts, representative of APCO
wool and seven official Directors including the Managing Director as Ex-officio
Director and Vice-Chairman of the APEX organisation. After the expiry of the
term of the elected Board in May 2000, the Secretary Industries & Commerce
(Tex.) Department was appointed as the Person-in-charge of APCO pending conduct
of election to the APEX body. The Director of Handlooms and Textiles,
Government of Andhra Pradesh is kept in additional charge of the post of Vice
Chairman and Managing Director of APCO for achieving better coordination
between the Department and the APEX body in the common endeavour to revamp and
restructure APCO. The APCO has 12 Divisional Marketing Officers in all major
districts with a total supporting staff of 1083 employees. The marketing
network of APCO is carried through its extensive sales outlets numbering (289)
out of which (253) are located with in the State of Andhra Pradesh and (36)
Interstate outlets are located outside the State of Andhra Pradesh.
|
|
|
|
|
IKKAT
Inking Exquisite Expressions in Fabric
Ikkat is a unique tie & dye process of creating fascinating
patterns on cloth using natural vegetable dyes. Resist-dyeing the warp and/or
weft to precision followed by expert weaving ensure the desired designs. Ikkat
enables beautiful sarees in silk and cotton, curtains and draperies,
furnishings, upholstery etc.
Interiors come alive with Ikkat durries, tablewares, tablemats and napkins. For
those with distinct tastes and custom-preferences, APCO's virtuoso designers
are always there to innovate altogether new concepts and patterns
Uppada Jamadani Weaves
A Glint of Gold on Fabric
One of the most exquisite and intricate of Indian hand woven textiles,
these weaves hail from a beatific coastal belt of Andhra Pradesh.
Fine cotton and natural silk threads are laced together with gold strands in
the finest count using supplementary weft technique to produce a distinctive
range of sarees, fashion fabrics, scarves, stoles, cushion covers, drapes and
window screens, all, marked by a transparent and mesmerizing mono-chromatic
harmony
Venkatagiri Zari Saree
The weft interlaces with warp and the beating of weft into the fell
takes in such a way (open shed beating), the surface of the cloth have a
different look.
Cotton Saree with Zari Boder with motifs
http://www.apts.gov.in/apco/sarees.aspx
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|