AP Handloom Sales On Amazon From November 1st

Tadepalli: The Government of Andhra Pradesh has signed up with Amazon India, to enable the State handloom weavers to sell their products online from 1st November. As part of this partnership more than 25 products will be sold through e-commerce portal. By the end of this month, the products will also be available through another e-commerce player- Flipkart.

This partnership was intended to empower the weavers, generate livelihood, income opportunities and boost the handloom industry, as envisaged by the Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.

As part of this, the Andhra Pradesh State Handloom Weaver's Co-operative Society Ltd.(APCO) will buy and source handlooms from various handloom cooperative societies as per category and sell them online through Amazon.

Initially weaves ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 20,000 would be made available. The famous weaves like Dharmavaram, Uppada, Mangalagiri, Pedana, Ponduru, Venkatagiri, Madhavaram and other fabrics from different regions of Andhra would be sold both in cotton and silk. Out of these 25 products, silk and cotton sarees, dress materials, stoles, shirts, dhotis, pillow covers, lungis, bedspreads, towels, handkerchiefs etc. would be showcased. Thousand pieces would be available under each category. The old stock would be replaced with new designs periodically.

The idea is to sell them at rates, which would be affordable by the middle class buyers, at the same time ensure that the weavers get their best price. There will also be a government logo marked on the products to ensure authenticity.

Bheemaiah, Assistant Director of the handlooms and textile department said that master weavers from across the state would be called for special meetings. They would be trained and as part of the awareness program explained about the online trading concepts and the benefits of selling their products online . The pilot projects would be first conducted in Vijayawada on November 1st and later extended to other districts.

It may be recollected that the Chief Minister had initiated the YSR Nethanna Nestham for the weavers benefit. As part of this scheme the Government will be providing Rs.24,000 per annum to every weaver family who owns a handloom, so as to modernize their equipment and in-turn compete with the power looms sector. The Finance minister Buggana Rajendranath had also allocated Rs 200 Crore for the handloom sector during the annual Budget presentation in the AP Assembly in July this year.

Also Read: GO Issued To Implement YSR Nethanna Nestham