Boost for handloom industry in Anamaduwa

Irangika RANGE

HANDLOOM INDUSTRY: The Textile Industry Development Ministry has initiated a handloom textile development project in Thalakolaweva , Anamaduwa investing over Rs. 3 million.

Under this project, a Janasalu Training Centre to train villagers on handloom textile weaving and a trade stall to showcase their products has been set up in the village.

Minister Jayatissa Ranaweera said as a major phase, 30 villagers will be trained at the training centre for six months paying Rs.2000 to each trainee during their training period.

Advisors of the Textile Department would train them to manufacture artistically high quality handloom textile products that are suited to national and international market requirements.

After the training period the Ministry will facilitate them to start their own businesses providing weaving machinery, thread and necessary tools.

Ranaweera said the Ministry spends nearly Rs. 100,000 on each person with the objective of creating self-employment opportunities promoting the handloom textile industry at a regional level in the country.

"We are determined to set up more handloom textile manufacturing villages in rural areas to achieve the target of manufacturing handloom textiles locally to meet the demand of Sri Lanka within the next two to three years," he said.

The Ministry is successfully engaged in manufacturing school uniform materials locally for nearly 4.3 million schoolchildren suspending imports from China.

This training scheme will be implemented further by releasing 30 trainers for a six-month training period and it would promote the Thalakolaweva as a high productive handloom textile-manufacturing village.

The Ministry will give orders to manufacture Dhamma School teachers' uniform material to the village as well.