Uppada Sarees

The Environmental Indication (GI) status has delivered a profitable influence to the Uppada saree weavers to rise their income. It was in 2009 when the traditional Jamdani merging method, wherein beautiful patterns of gold and silver zari are created without any mechanical help, taken up by the Uppada saree weavers was familiar for GI registration.

The GI is the knowledgeable property right that excludes the other builders from creating as well as selling a product with same name. With the GI label, the economic condition of Uppada saree weavers has better-quality and now they are in a position to accommodate to the needs of both domestic as well as global markets.

Before, the inflow of low-priced fabric with the Uppada label in the market had caused most of the weavers to lose their corporate. But now they are able to sell 50 sarees per month to showrooms in Hyderabad, with each saree selling at a price of Rs 20,000. The price of Uppada sarees sorts among Rs 5,000 to Rs 80,000. The specially-ordered wedding sarees cost more than Rs 0.3 million (Rs 3 lakh).

One of the handloom associations’ annual turnover rose by two times from Rs 20 million every month last year. Around 100 weavers are wanted to weave a saree. Presently, the association is facing the test of labor deficiency. At present, there is 30 percent shortage of weavers, which rises the production time of a single saree by another 15 days.

The Uppada weavers are often deceived by the brokers, who pay them small amounts. The sharp rise in the price of silk from Rs 1,600 per kg last year to Rs 2,600 per kg, this year, is also producing great apprehension to the weavers. The association has advised the government to supply silk at a subsidized rate and allot funds so that a store can be set up in Delhi. This is predictable to put an end to the problem initiated by the middlemen.