Sambalpuri fabric needs online marketing platform & modern design: IIM-S study

We have planned to approach PSUs to provide money from the Corporate Social Responsibility CSR fund for this purpose, he added. Meanwhile, the IIM-S has already started discussion with the weavers of the region for marketing and new designs. While around 5,500 weavers directly work under the Sambalpur Bastralaya Handloom Cooperative Society, there are around 25,000 weavers in the districts of Bargarh, Sambalpur, Sonepur, Balangir, Nuapara, Jharsuguda, and Kalahandi in the western region of Odisha. Weaving is the second largest employer after agriculture in this region of the state, he said.

The famous Sambalpuri fabric of Odisha needs online marketing platforms and modernhandloom designs to expand its reach to consumers across theglobe, according to a study by a premier management school.

The Indian Institute of Management, Sambalpur (IIM-S)which conducted the study on weavers has also planned to work for taking the Sambalpuri fabric to the global market.

Director of IIM-S, Mahadeo Jaiswal said: ''marketing ofthe Sambalpuri fabrics on digital platforms will take thebeautiful fabric to global markets. We have already initiated dialogue for marketing of Sambalpuri handloom products. If everything goes well as per plan, an MoU will be signed with Flipkart in New Delhi in March''.

Jaiswal further said that there is also a need toimprove the financial literacy levels of the weavers here.

There are many weavers in this area with awesome skills.

However, when it comes to business, many of them are unaware of what is required to undertake business in the national or the global market.

''We have also planned to instill them with the requiredbusiness knowledge so that they could do the business innational and global markets. We have also planned to organizeworkshops and training programs for the weavers for thispurpose'', he said.

Jaiswal said new and modern designs should also beintroduced in Sambalpuri fabrics considering the demand of thepeople of different regions.

He said IIM-S has planned to take the help of professional designers. ''We will also create a fund to rope in professional designers. We have planned to approach PSUs toprovide money from the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)fund for this purpose'', he added.

Meanwhile, the IIM-S has already started discussionwith the weavers of the region for marketing and new designs.

While around 5,500 weavers directly work under the Sambalpur Bastralaya Handloom Cooperative Society, there are around 25,000 weavers in the districts of Bargarh, Sambalpur, Sonepur, Balangir, Nuapara, Jharsuguda, and Kalahandi in the western region of Odisha.

Weaving is the second largest employer after agriculture in this region of the state, he said.