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collect on their own. To conduct this study, secondary information was collected from articles published
in magazines, seminars, conferences, and also from concerned personnel.
Data Collection: Data was collected from Weavers, Handloom Entrepreneurs, Retail shops selling raw
materials required for weaving, Directorate of Handloom & Other related personnel.
Sample Design: Sample was taken from the two biggest handloom clusters of the state – Thenzawl
Handloom Cluster which is in Serchhip District and Aizawl Handloom Cluster which is in Aizawl, the
capital of the state. (a) Weavers: Aizawl-58 [49 entrepreneurs employing weavers & 9 weaving privately]
(b) Thenzawl-71 different weaving families (c) 3 Retail shops selling raw materials (d) Others-5
(Total-137)
Major Findings:-
The weavers of Mizoram still have a lot of room for further development of their skills, the type of looms
they use and the technology used for pre-weaving preparation of the raw materials. Also, the marketing
management of the weavers of Mizoram are so unorganised that the middlemen get maximum profit
from the handloom business. In places like Thenzawl, almost every house is involved in the weaving
activity, so, weavers would have to take their products to other places to sell them as direct marketing
inside the city would not work. Whereas, in Aizawl which is around 92 km from Thenzawl, being the
capital and having the maximum population from all other towns and villages and has many visitors
from outside the state, direct marketing and retail shops selling handloom products are still successful
but this too, may not be sustained for future prospect. Although weavers may be satisfied with the
present business inside the state for generating income, they still have an opportunity to expand their
market not only to other States in the country but even outside the country. Since the weaving activity is
a valued art passed down from generation to generation in the Mizo society, it greatly contributes to the
upgradation of weaving skills, enables wider product diversification, paves the way for value addition on
the finished product and also for product design.
Major recommendations:-
i. Upgradation and Modernization: Government should give attention in up gradation and
modernization of loom, equipments and infrastructural development for the betterment of the
handloom industry.
ii. Product Diversification: Redesigning of the existing traditional products. The existing product can
be made softer, good textures and with standard size. The existing traditional motifs can be used
for new product development and diversification and will give the product a local identity. Besides
puans, other handloom products that can be sold even in the global market are:Bags, Purses and
Wallets, Belts, Neckties, Cushion and Pillow covers, Wall hangings, Mats & Shirts,etc
iii. Market Research: A deep and effective market research must be made in a regular interval to know
what are the growing demands of the customers and also to know the patterns of change in their
demands.
iv. Eradication of middleman involvement: As of the present status, the middlemen are receiving the
highest profit from the business. If steps were taken by theWeaver Societies and Self Help Groups for
arranging a marketing system such that direct marketing is enabled for each weaver, such as opening
