Imphal, December 15: While urging for ensuring availability of all the variety and colour of yarns in the Yarn Banks under the Government of Manipur, woman weavers have sought the intervention of the Government to stop the monopoly of the businessmen in fixing the price of the yarns.

Speaking at the occasion of introducing the Thamballeima Woman Weavers' Societies by Apunba Kanglei Sinnaibi Lup (AKSIL) at Moidangpok today, the women weavers pointed that increased in the price of yarns arbitrarily by the businessmen caused lot of difficulties to them.

Sakhi, who has been married and taken up the profession of weaving full time to supplement the income of her family, said marketing the products of the women weavers is not a problem as the buyers themselves come to them.

It is we weavers who could not even meet the demand of the buyers due to various reasons including unavailability of the variety and colours of the yarns we required, she said.

She further disclosed that businessmen dealing in yarns at Khwairamband Bazar have also been monopolising the price of the yarns and hiked the same in accordance to their own whims and fancies.

We could not also get the desire yarns from the yarn banks being set up by the Government of Manipur, she added.

On the same line, AKSIL secretary S Eraileima also informed that apart from inadequacy in supplying the required yarns, women weavers could not get yarns of their liking in terms of colour and varieties from the yarn banks of the Government of Manipur.

The State Government should intervene in stopping the monopoly of the businessmen in fixing the price of the yarns along with ensuring availability of all the varieties and colours of yarns in the yarn banks, Eraileima urged.

AKSIL advisor Romi Meetei informed there are in all 6,000 registered societies under Manipur Corporative Societies.

But most of them are one-man societies.

The fund released by the Govt of India are not being received by the women weavers who are actu ally working in the field.

Instead it is being enjoyed by those who have not been even touched the looms all their life, he said, while explaining that the main objective of AKSIL is to rectify this and promote used of indigenous handloom products among the people of the State.

Speaking on Thamballeima Women Weavers' Society, Th Jugindro said informed that it was established in 1985 and it has 105 members today.

The Society members have been weaving Phanek Mapan Naiba, Phi Matek, Phanek Matek, Innaphi, Shawl Manbi, School Uniform and Muffler, etc, he said, adding that unmarried women members can earn around Rs 1000 in a month from weaving while married women members can earn upto Rs 700 to 800 in a month.

women weavers made it clear that they would be able to weave more cloths if the price of the yarns is regulated by the Govt and if they have accessed to every variety of yarns and colours they required from the yarn banks of the Govt.Married women weavers also assured that they could produce more cloths if they got enough time from their domestic chores.

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