Bhubaneswar: Odisha has been a leading producer of cotton, as nearly 10 crore kg of the fiber is produced annually in 12 districts of the state. However, it is a pity that there are no cotton mills in the state to make use of cotton.
According to the state Handicraft, Handloom and Textiles Minister’s statement in the Assembly, one cotton processing mill is operational at Kesinga in Kalahandi district, six cooperative-backed cotton mills are lying defunct.
What is sad is that in the absence of processing units or textile parks to use the state’s cotton output, people are bereft of potential employment opportunities in this sector. In such a scenario, the major parts of cotton produced here are exported to other states.
Roughly1,22,335 weaver families, most of them in western Odisha, are eking out their living in the handloom sector. According to an estimate, they annually use cotton worth `95 crore.
Though these weavers have been demanding a textile park in western Odisha to promote handloom items, there is no one to lend them an ear.
Assistant Director of Textiles Debraj Sahu told Orissa POST that the government procures cotton from farmers through mandis. “As there is no cotton mill here, the product is exported to other states – mostly the southern states. Some cotton is also sold to Punjab and Haryana, he added. Sources said cotton cultivation is carried out in 12 districts – Kalahandi, Bolangir, Rayagada, Nuapada, Subarnapur, Bargarh, Gajapati, Ganjam, Koraput, Boudh, Kandhamal, and Angul.
The state produced 5,78,500 bales or 9,83,45,000 kg cotton in the 2019-20 fiscal. Out of this Kalahandi alone produced 2,27,240 bales of cotton. However, the harvested cotton was of no use to the weavers here due to the closure of six cotton mills.
The Odisha Weavers’ Cotton Mill in Bargarh, Kalinga Cotton Mill in Dhenkanal, Utkal Weavers Cooperative Cotton Mill in Khurda, Jagannath Weavers’ Cooperative Cotton Mill in Athagarh of Cuttack district, Sarala Weavers’ Cooperative Cotton Mill in Jagatsinghpur district, and Sri Gopinath Weavers’ Cooperative Cotton Mill in Balasore have downed shutters long back. Only the Konark Cotton Mill, spread over 50 acres, at Kesinga in Kalahandi district is the only functioning cotton mill in the state.
The state government has initiated a move to revive three defunct cotton mills, including are Odisha Cotton Mill in Bargarh, Kalinga Cotton Mill in Dhenkanal, and Sri Gopinath Cotton Mill in Balasore, through privatisation. Privatisation of Sri Gopinath Cotton Mill is complete and the process of handing over the land is on.
Many have demanded the establishment of more cotton mills and textile parks in the state to curb the migration of skilled workers to other states. The establishment of more cotton mills and textile parks will benefit these skilled migrant workers who now work in mills located in Gujarat, Karnataka, and West Bengal, the departmental minister acknowledged. Meanwhile, the weavers’ association members said establishing more cotton mills and textile parks as per the Odisha Apparel Policy-2016 will create more employment opportunities in the state.
Priyaranjan Kar, secretary of Odisha Artisan Federation, said that Odisha has more than three lakh weavers but the state government is unable to supply them cotton as per their demand. These weavers now depend on states like Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, West Bengal, and Andhra Pradesh for their livelihood. Duryodhan Chand, a tussar saree weaver in Gopalpur, termed the state government’s move to get a global brand tag to Odisha Handloom as unfortunate. “Instead of making raw materials available for weavers, the government is keen on international recognition only,” he lamented.