Expressing shock and concern over the drastic reduction in the production order for free dhotis and sarees meant for distribution during the Pongal festival in 2026, the Tamil Nadu Federation of Powerloom Associations has urged the State government to reconsider the decision and restore the original production scale of 1.77 crore dhotis and sarees, to be produced entirely through powerlooms, as done the previous year.
B. Kandavel, joint coordinator of the federation, said the government had announced in April 2025 that 1.46 crore sarees and 1.44 crore dhotis would be produced this year, excluding old stock. However, the latest production order has drastically reduced the numbers to 1.28 crore dhotis and 1.06 crore sarees, triggering widespread unrest among weavers.
Last year, orders were issued for producing 1.77 crore dhotis and sarees through powerloom cooperatives. Weavers were expecting a similar scale this year as well. The reduced allocation now threatens to result in the loss of two months of work for thousands of powerloom workers, particularly in Erode, Tiruchengode, Tiruppur, and Coimbatore.
Mr. Kandavel noted that the government had initially stated that over 65,000 powerlooms across 240 cooperative societies would be engaged in the project. In contrast, the latest order allocates only 13,423 looms for saree production and 12,882 for dhoti production, leaving many societies without sufficient work and unable to operate their looms.
