Weavers of Adoni
Agony of Adoni is on the rise, with this town’s traditional weaving industry which makes the famous Gadhwal sarees in deep crisis, resulting in increased unemployment and social unrest.
It was about five years back Adoni’s traditional saree weaving industry plunged into deep crisis, resulting out of the government’s anti domestic industry policies, rendering about 250,000 craftsmen jobless.
The once milling saree bazaars and looms wear a deserted look. Prices of sarees have nearly become a half of what it was earlier with cheaper imports ruling the roost now, making it tough for the weavers to make their ends meet.
“It doesn’t make sense to be in this trade. The market for the original product has shrunk. Demand is for cheaper products made with imported materials,” points out Ramesh Babu, whose family is the trade for generations. Babu, the youngest of the generation has already abandoned the traditional job and is in the lookout for jobs in the near by town of Kurnool. His father still works on the loom installed at his home and weaves sarees.
It took two weavers almost one week to weave out a wonder of six feet cotton and silk mix saree. The numbers are pathetic now. Though there are no official estimates, its projected that the saree production has dwindled to a quarter of what it was during the hay days.
“The plight of the weavers is really bad. They have almost become non-existent. If it continues like that the craft of weaving will stop to exist,” said M A Gafoor, Central Committee Member, CPI (M) and an ex-MLA from the region.
Adoni is also famous for its red chillies, a fiery super hot version of the red chillies and is used liberally in food preparations, not only in the region, but also across the Andhra Pradesh and India. The chilli farming is also facing severe crisis. Middlemen eating up profits and lack of irrigation facilities are pushing farming to the brink and farmers are exiting farming.
However, the plight doesn’t seem to impact any changes in the callous attitude of the rulers and policy makers. Despite a demand for better policies, the government seems to ignore the demand.
“Some of the issues we are raising as a part of the Jatha are very pertinent to the region. Here, social infrastructure is poor, water and irrigation facilities are almost non operational, unemployment is high and healthcare needs a fresh look,’ said Gafoor.