The handloom industry of Manipur has played a pivotal role in supporting the state's economic sustenance.
The traditional skill of handloom weaving employs a large part of the state's population directly or indirectly.
However, often the full potential of this industry remains untapped as the products of these weavers often don't go beyond the local markets.
To enhance the growth of the handloom industry and to attract more investors to tap the immense potential of the state and the region as a whole, the state government has undertaken an initiative to roll out the end products, produced in the Apparel and Garment Centres in Manipur's Lamboikhongnagkhong to the world market to create a business hub in the state.
The garments produced by these weavers were showcased at the Handwoven Garment Fair, held recently in Imphal.
"We are trying to emphasize more on the hand woven fabric of Manipur. So basically we are trying to promote the state's weavers and the tailors who are being employed from Manipur. Basically, it will be totally made in Manipur product," Roslyn Khongsai, Design Expert at Apparel and Garment making centre.
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Traditional outfits ranging from kurtas, khadi waistcoats, hand-woven Manipuri outfits like Phanek and Innaphi were sold at the fair.
People from all walks of life thronged the fair and were visibly smitten with the intricate work that goes into making these garments.
Manipur's Minister for Commerce and Industry, Thongam Biswajit Singh, was the chief guest at the event.
Singh said that the government was also considering cotton plantation at Jiribam and Kwatha as a pilot project and revival of the spinning mill was very much on cards.
"The arrangement made by the principal adviser to Chief Minister is that the material will be coming from Myanmar at the lowest rate and what we need to do is only stitching and threading," Biswajit Singh said.
It is worth mentioning that this fair is the first such initiative by the Manipur Government in collaboration with the Centre to make the 'Make in Manipur' concept a reality at the grassroots level.