Impact of globalization on the handloom industry – A case study of the Hugli district of West Bengal

The concept of globalization appeared in the Indian subcontinent in 1991. With the onset of liberalization, privatization and globalization a new chapter has been opened up in the Indian economy and her billion plus population. The Hugli district is one of the most renowned names in the handloom industry of West Bengal and a good percentage of people are engaged in this heritage industry. The study is conducted in five handloom clusters of the district, namely – Dhaniakhali - Somaspur, Begumpur, Haripal, Rajbolhat and Balagar. The main objectives of this paper were to investigate the effects of globalization on the rural handloom weaver community, in terms of their economic and social conditions. At the same time the article intends to analyse the changes in the over all production scenario of the handloom industry in the district due to modernization. It can be said that the handloom industry of the Hugli district is suffering from some inherent problems like low productivity, lack of product diversification and problems related to procuring raw materials. The co-operative sectors are indifferent to enlarging their market sphere. Though there are plenty of efficient and skilled weavers but they are only doing their traditional practices, the adoption of modern techniques is significantly poor among the weavers. Therefore the new generations are totally unwilling to accept weaving as their main occupation because of the uncertainty of the industry. The article also suggests some strategies to make this ever challenging industry globally competitive, such as, the identification of modern trends, promotion of exports, market assessment so that this heritage industry can cope with the modern trends and utilise the benefits of globalization.