Future's tense for Surat jari units

Lack of modernisation is pushing the city's 150-year-old jari industry, which is already reeling under increase in raw material prices and recession, into deeper crisis.

Other industries have undergone a lot of changes with introduction of new machinery and technology, but even today jari manufacturers use centuries-old techniques for production.

Jari manufacturers, however, say they do not have funds for research and development and it is for the government to do something into the matter.

Raman Jariwala, a leading jari manufacturer, said, "The jari industry is more like a cottage industry in Surat. We do not possess technical know-how or funds to undertake research. Research will be possible only if the government provides funds."

"We have written to the government to allot funds to the city-based Mantra (Man-made Textile Research Association), which can undertake research and probably do something to save the jari industry," Jariwala said.

"We have adopted a trial and error system. We tried different things. Some of them worked, some did not. We have achieved a certain degree of success as quality of jari produced today is better than that a few years back. But we still have a long way to go if we want to compete at the world level," Jariwala said.