Mechanisation, high input costs hitting artisan profits

HYDERABAD: Artisans who make handmade products faced tough challenges in 2021, as prices of raw materials and cost of labour and other inputs increased manifold without translating into higher profits.

Blaming the coronavirus pandemic, artisans from various markets said the people had lost their purchasing power, which in turn affected the sales of handmade products. Hardly a few years back, this informal economic sector had developed a capacity to participate in exhibitions as well as started online businesses to live sustainably in this competitive era.

Imran Soomro, owner of ajrak manufacturing workshop at Bhit Shah town in Matiari district said due to overcrowding in this sector, the supply has increased despite low demand, which impacted the prices of handmade products negatively.

“Earlier, we started participating in exhibitions in major cities and observed that there was higher demand for our products. During these shows we developed linkages to urban clients for promoting entrepreneurship further,” he said.

“After establishing these links, we started an online business, sending our products to our clients and earning reasonable profit.” In fact it was a turning point for artisans and helped boost businesses, he added. But after the emergence of the pandemic, the situation for such businesses changed.

Soomro said business declined also because of the lack of exhibitions, where artisans used to display their crafts.

Meanwhile, prices of raw materials also increased 40-50 percent within two years. “Cloth used in ajrak was available at Rs55-58/meter, now the cost increases up to Rs120 /meter or more of the same.

Similarly, the cost of indigo, the main colour used in ajrak, went up to Rs4,500/kg,” the ajrak-maker said.

An ajrak goes through various processes. Each worker gets assigned a particular task. They get either a daily wage or get paid per item. Workers engaged in setting print blocks previously used to receive Rs50—60 per item happily, now they demand Rs100 or more, depending on their expertise.

Washing ajrak at watercourses was another important process, which requires an experienced person, who previously used to get Rs300-400 and now demands Rs600—700 or more as a daily wage.

Many important items used in ajrak, jandi and blue pottery as raw materials were available in the riverine forests long ago, which now has been depleted, leaving this sector vulnerable.

Thus, almost all locally made products used in ajrak manufacturing have become more costly. Despite increasing input cost, the prices of ajrak and its value-addition like women's dress are the same since 2016.

The price of ajrak ranges from Rs1,500—Rs5,000, depending on its quality. Similarly, the price of a women’s ajrak print dress is Rs1,200—Rs1,500 only. Compared to input cost the artisans get low profit, reports revealed.

Some artisans said there was no regular market in any city for this traditional work where artisans could sell their products. Rarely a client or two would show up at workshops to buy handmade products at retail rates. Otherwise, artisans prefer to sell the products in bulk at wholesale rates so they get the needed liquidity to pay workers and buy raw materials to continue running their workshops.

Shakeel Abro, director Sitco calls it a major shift from traditional sale to online business by artisans themselves in some sectors like ajrak, shawl, jandi and blue pottery. “Ajrak is a major industry, following kashi (blue pottery), jandi (colourful wood work) and rilly. Though it will take time to develop linkages of all sectors with urban markets through online business, a small number of artisans are doing their business digitally,” he shared.

Sitco has established display centres at Hyderabad and Bhit Shah Artisan village, where they wanted to promote the traditional art and craft industry. They encourage artisans to set up stalls there without getting charged for the space.

Another development is that many artisan families have encouraged their successors after education to take over their traditional works. This young cadre have either sought education in textile industry or business administration and management and are now leading their businesses.

Despite this development, a large number of women associated with tribal hand embroidery in different areas are yet to get this opportunity to develop linkages with urban markets. The reason is that it is the most costly and time-consuming work.

Buyers in this era prefer to have cheap machine-made embroidered products instead of traditional hand embroidery items.

In this situation, local markets have original and machine made products like ajrak, jandi, kashi and other products for clients.

The artisans plead that they have to compete in the market for survival. If they depend solely on quality work they cannot earn and continue their century old business.

Keeping alive the original art and craft is a big challenge for the government as well as the society, who want to promote it. This requires a movement and sensitisation at community level to promote this dying traditional art and craft industry.