With Asia’s biggest Imitation Jewellery Clusters addressing the problems of small scale industrialists/entrepreneurs, Krishna District administration wishes to replicate this success by to setting up an exclusive joint cluster for Kalamkari artistes and handloom weavers of Pedana. In the absence of a cluster for Kalamkari design industry, which has an estimated 4,000 workers in Pedana town, including 90 per cent women, workers are thrown out of employment every rainy season.
“The Government could promise employment to the large number of Kalamkari workers if it comes up with the cluster with production and marketing facilities at a common venue for all the Kalamkari material producers,” said A.P. State Kalamkari Industry union leader Sajja Nageswara Rao.
It is learnt that self help group members have tapped their marketing network by setting up mini design units in Pedana, a renowned habitation for skilled weavers. Inspecting the existing facilities for Kalamkari workers as well as weavers, Krishna District Collector Buddha Prakash M. Jyothi directed officials to prepare the cluster project plan to be set up in the district.
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“The cluster proposal would also aim at addressing the woes of owners of Kalamkari units in importing cloth from other parts in India,” said Mr. Buddha Prakash.
A team of officials led by the Collector on Wednesday visited Pedana and Imitation Jewellery Park to study possibility of setting up the joint cluster.