Title of the Paper: A Study of the Muga Silk Reelers in the Worlds biggest Muga Weaving clusterSualkuchi.

Name of the Author: DR. JATINDRA NATH SAIKIA. Designation: ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, Organization: MANAGEMENT, GOLAGHAT COMMERCE COLLEGE, GOLAGHAT, JYOTI NAGAR, GOLAGHAT, PIN: 785 621 ASSAM, INDIA. Mobile: 91-9435151015. Email: jatin_saikia@yahoo.com DEAPRTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCE

Study of the Muga Silk Reelers in the Worlds biggest Muga Weaving clusterSualkuchi. Dr. Jatindra Nath Saikia
Sualkuchi is a small census town in the district of Kamrup, Assam, consisting of two revenue villages-Sualkuchi and Bamundi Sualkuchi along with the North bank of Brahmaputra near Guwahati, spread over an area of 12 Sq KM, 4 KM from East to West and 3 KM from North to South. In 1951 census, it was regarded as very large village with a population of 7,598, which has grown to 21, 252 in 2001. In due course, Sualkuchi has grown as Development Block with population more than 1 lakh. The greater Sualkuchi cluster is consisted of 16 villages, viz. Sualkuchi, Bongsar, Sanpara, Bathan, Srihati, Gandhmou, Sarulah, Barlah, Kaeyatol, Halogaon, Bamundi, Siliguri, Hardia, Tokradia, Sobangsah and Ramdia. Sualkuchi is the busiest Silk Textile Centre of the North Eastern Region of India and it is known as the Manchester of Assam. The rattle of the fly shuttles normally starts at 8 am and continues till 10 PM with lunch break from 12 PM to 2 PM. The market of the silk fabric determines the intensity of work load not only of loom owners but also the weavers and their helpers, yarn winders and other related silk activities. It has been observed that since 1951 onwards, silk industry of Sualkuchi has shown a very rapid growth. Between the years 1981-2001, there has been more than 500% growth in active silk handlooms at Sualkuchi, from average number of 2 looms/household during the year 1981 to neared 6 handlooms/ household during 2001.

Objective of the paper: The main objective of this paper is to study the workings of the reelers of
Sualkuchi and the problems that are being faced by them.

Methodology: In order to prepare the paper primary data have been collected by canvassing
questionnaires. Interview schedules have also been widely used to collect required information for the study. Necessary Primary information have also been collected from different related government departments. Since the information/respondents are homogenous, data have been collected by applying random sampling method. For this study the size of the sample is 20% of the total population (Reelers) and this will surly represent the total universe. The collected information have been processed and interpreted them by applying SPSS software. Before going to discuss about the workings of the reelers in Sualkuchi cluster, let us give a picture of the activities that are being carried on in the cluster. Following tables would show a picture of the activities that are being carried on in the Sualkuchi Cluster.

Table 1 Annual Silk Fabric Production in Sualkuchi

SL No Silk Products No of Looms Fabric (No of Fabric (No of Production Lakh Pieces) lakh Sq mtrs) Per Annum (Lakh in Rupees) 1 Mekhela, Chadar, Blouse, Parh etc 2 3 4 Saree Than Khasi Dress Total 2902 1216 33 19168 0.78 0.76 0.16 5.07 5.17 6.08 0.40 30.08 1560 760 22 7060 15017 3.37 18.43 4718

The table given below shows the amount of consumption of raw materials per annum in the Greater Sualkuchi Cluster.

Table No 2 Raw material Consumption/year

Sl No 1 2 3 4 5 6 Particulars Mulberry Silk Yarn Tasar yarn Muga Yarn (23.33 Crores Cocoons) Rayon Design Thread Jari-Golden/Silver9marks 225 gm) Dyes Amount of Consumption 268 MT 26 MT 42 MT 180 MT 30,000 marks 4000 Kg

The total number of persons employed in the Silk sector of the Sualkuchi Cluster is given in the following table.

Table No 3 Persons engaged in the Silk industry

SL No 1 2 Particulars Loom Owners-Managers Weavers Number 4715 19168 (Female =10496 & Male = 8672)

Helpers

7770 (Hired 2148 & Domestic 5622)

Yarn winder & Reelers Total

2271 33924

Source: Directorate of Sericulture, Govt of Assam, Khanapara, Guwahati, Assam. The total number of Muga Looms in Greater Sualkuchi cluster (including nearby areas) is 2817 as per the information of the Directorate of Sericulture, government of Assam (2008). The Eri Silk Cluster, Palasbari-Bijaynagar, which is of close proximity to Sualkuchi Cluster, is also famous for Eri Spinning and weaving. The close proximity with the Eri Cocoon producing areas of Assam and Meghalaya, convenient transport and road connectivity with Khasi and garo Hills and other dfferent areas of the state together with the availability of labour at low cost and marketing facility, made this place a rare advantage in growing Eri Silk. This Eri Silk Cluster (Muga fabrics are also made here), has got 25 villages. The major villages dealing with Eri-Muga Silk activities are: Palasbari, Parally, Bajrapara, Hudumpur, Kukuria, Barkuchi, Sadillapur, majhirgaon-Barupara, Upparhali, and Puran Katohi. The prominent villages engaged in Eri Silk activities are: Bijoynagar, Rampur, Jiakur, Amtol, Banka, Kata, Patorikhat, Tejpur-Haru, Tejpur, Satpukhari, Nahira, Guamari, Upparhali, Dakhla, Borihat, Jharobari and Barduar. This particular cluster is the single largest deemed Eri exporting cluster in India. Eri Silk fabric worth around Rs. 3000.00 lakhs is exported annually via Nepal to other Asian countries having open trade agreement with Nepal. As per the record of the Directorate of Sericulture, Government of Assam, there are large numbers of spinner cum-weavers in the cluster. In this cluster also, there are a good number of muga reelers and muga silk traders. Following table shows the details of silk activities of this cluster:

Table No-4 Components in Palasbari- Bijoynagar Cluster 1. 2.

Muga-Eri Cocoon/waste Trading Muga Reeling 125 Traders

250 Reelers

3 4 5

Eri-Muga Spinners-cum-Weavers Muga Eri Yearn Traders Spun Eri-muga Fabric Traders

12,213 Spinners-Weavers 25 Traders 50 Traders

The above table shows that there are 125 Muga and Eri Cocoon traders including the wastes. There are 250 Muga reelers in the cluster. The amount of Muga and Eri yarn traders is negligible since only 25 persons are engaged in this activity. The number of Eri-Muga spinner-cum-weavers is very large. The table shows that 12, 213 persons are engaged in this activity. There are 50 persons exclusively engaged in Eri-Muga fabric trading in the Palasbari-Bijaynagar Cluster. Reeling is one of the most important activities in the value chain of every silk industry. The people who perform this activity is known as Reeler. Reelers produce yarn which is the most important component for weaving. Without the presence of Reelers, it is simply impossible to think of a complete value chain in the silk sector. During the period of our study, we have collected data from 114 Reelers of the Sualkuchi cluster. It is observed from our study that out of 114 Reelers 62 are in the age group of 20 to 30 years and the age group only 6 Reelers is above 50 years. Following table shows the details of their age:

Table No: 5 Age of the Reelers

Age of the Reelers 20-30 Years 31-40 Years 41-50 Years More than 50 Years Total Number of Reelers 62 38 08 06 114 Percentage 54.4 33.3 7.0 5.3 100

The above table reveals that the young generation is interested in silk related activities. Particularly in reeling activity 100 reelers out of 144 are in the age group of upto 40 years. Out of these reelers only 34 reelers are under matrics and 2 are having post graduate degree also. The table given below details about their formal level education:

Table No: 6 Educational Qualification

Educational Qualification Under Matrics H.S.L.C. H.S. Graduate Post graduate Total Number of reelers 34 30 34 14 02 114 Percentage 29.8 26.3 29.8 12.3 1.8 100

It is found that out of 114 reelers covered under our study 36 are female and 78 reelers are male. It means that the reeling job is also male dominated like other silk activity. On the other hand, out of 114 reelers 56.1% has got more than 5 years. In the following table the experience of the reelers of the Sualkuchi cluster is given below:

Table No 7 Experience of the Reelers

Experience 1 Year 1-5 Years Number of Reelers 04 46 Percentage 3.5 40.4

More than 5 years Total

64 114

56.1 100

Our study has observed that 16% of the reelers covered by our study is having income source other than reeling activity and the rest 84% does not have any other income source than reeling. The reelers of Sualkuchi cluster have to invest money to set up their reeling activity. But a large number of reelers do not invest any amount in their reeling activity since they are engaged by either the weavers or traders. From our study, it has been found that out of 114 reelers covered by our study do not invest any amount. Following table shows the amount invested by the reelers for setting up their reeling activity.

Table No 8 Amount of Total Investment

Amount Invested Less than 1 lakh Rs, 1 lakh Rs.1-2 Lakhs Rs.2.1 -5 lakhs Rs.5.1-10 lakhs Not Invested/ Not applicable Total No of Reelers 14 02 10 10 02 76 114 Percentage 12.28 1.8 8.8 8.8 1.8 66.7 100

The reelers have to invest for purchasing the raw materials i.e. cocoons. When asked about the amount of money invested in raw materials per annum, most of the reelers informed us that they do not maintain proper books of Accounts in this regard. However, from the information so collected about the amount of money invested by them for purchasing raw materials, a table has been prepared which is given below:

Table 9

Investment in Raw materials

Amount of investment in raw materials Rs.10,000-Rs.50,000 Rs.51,000-Rs.1,00,000 More than Rs.1,00,000 Not calculated Total No of reelers 04 12 24 74 114 Percentage 3.5 10.5 21.1 64.9 100

From the above table it has been revealed that 74% reelers of Sualkuchi cluster covered by our study have not calculated their amount invested or they are least interested in this regard. When enquired about the production capacity of the reelers (per annum) they have provided us some information and depending upon the collected information the following table has been prepared. Table No. 10 Production capacity of the reelers (Per Annum) Production capacity of the Reelers Less than 10 KG 10-15 KG 16-20 KG More than 20 KG Total No of Reelers 14 48 20 32 114 Percentage 12.3 42.1 17.5 28.1 100

It is also observed that out of 114 reelers 42 are having or owning their own looms for weaving and the rest 72 reelers do not get engaged in weaving and they do not possess any loom. It is noted that when asked about the monthly sales turnover, no reeler could provide us that information. Our study has found that 61.4% of reelers are facing different problems in reeling and 38.6% reelers are either not facing any problem or they are not aware of them. However, the reelers, who are conscious

about the problems that are being faced by them, have informed us the types of problems and these are mentioned in the following table:

Table No 11 Types of Problems

Types of Problems Lack of Cocoons Lack of Quality cocoons Financial problems Lack of experienced labourers Not Applicable/Not facing problem Total No of reelers 12 22 18 18 44 114 Percentage 11 19 16 15 39 100

When enquired since how long they have been facing such problems, the information was not uniform for all the reelers. Their response in this regard is shown in the following table:

Table No 12 Period of Facing Problems

Period of the Problems Less than 1 year 1-3 years More than 3 years Not Applicable/Not facing Problem/ Not aware of them Total No of reelers 45 20 05 44 114 Percentage 39.4 17.5 4.3 38.8 100

From the above table it has been observed that the problems faced by them are of recent times since 65 Muga Reelers are facing problems for the last three years only. The types of problems faced by them have been mentioned in the table shown earlier. So far as the location of the buyers of the yarn is concerned 64.9% Reelers informed that their buyers are of rural areas and only 7% said that their buyers are urban based. 21.1% Reelers do not sell their products and 7% Reelers said that their buyers hail from both urban and rural areas. As stated earlier a good number of reelers are having their own looms for weaving. The table given below shows the number of looms owned by the reelers covered by our study.

Table No. 13 Number of Looms owned

Number of looms owned 1-3 Nos 4-5 Nos More than 5 Nos Not Applicable Total Number of Reelers 28 10 04 72 114 Percentage 24.6 8.8 3.5 63.1 100

It is also noteworthy that 96.5% Reelers do not calculate the cost of their product. They sell their products at the price offered by the buyers. So far as the presence of intermediaries in the silk business is concerned 63.2% wants their presence and the rest 36.8% does not want any intermediary. Out of 114 Reelers, only 2 Reelers obtained training on Reeling and that too offered by an NGO and nobody has obtained any training on marketing. When asked whether they face any problem in selling their products or not majority of them(96.5%) informed that they do not have any problem in selling their products. From our study it has been revealed that 82% reelers expect financial help from the government, 4% want governments interference in controlling the price of cocoons and the rest 28% do not have any idea the type of help they should seek.

Out of the total reelers covered by our study 35.15 use their yarn for their own looms and 64.9% sell their products. It is also found from our study that 26.3% reelers engage hired labourers for reeling activity and the rest 73.7% does not engage any any labourer from outside. The number of hired labourers engaged by the reelers is given in the table shown below:

Table No 14 No of Hired labourers engaged

No of Hired labourer engaged Less than 2 Nos 2-3 Nos 4-5 Nos 6-7 Nos Not applicable Total 09 10 05 04 84 114 7.8 8.7 4.3 3.5 73.6 100 No of reelers Percentage

When asked whether the reelers are able to supply yarn as per the demand in the market, 82% reelers replied negatively since the demand of Muga yarn is more than the amount of production. Our study reveals that production of Muga cocoon decreases but the demand of Muga fabrics increases. So the Reelers are not able to meet the increasing demand og Muga silk yarn It is known from our study that out of the total number of reelers covered by our study 88.5% is willing to increase the production and 11.5% reelers have been found to be reluctant to increase their production capacity.

It is observed that 101 reelers out of 114 covered by our study have taken up different plans to increase their production capacity. Following table shows a clear picture of their plans:

Table No. 15 Plan to increase Production capacity Plans Buy more cocoons Apply for loan to increase capital amount Use of High Speed machine Not Applicable Total Number of reelers 14 09 78 13 114 Percentage 12.28 7.82 68.42 11.50 100

The above table shows that most of reelers are planning to use high speed reeling machines in order to increase their production capacity though a few reelers plan to buy more cocoons and to increase their amount of capital by borrowing from different sources. It is observed that 63.2% reelers have rated their products as good and the rest 42% opined that their products are very good. Almost all the reelers think that their products (yarn) is durable enough and the production cost is reasonable. So far as the quality of the products is concerned 89.5% reelers regard their products as very good and only 10.5% rate as good. It is noteworthy that all the reelers have admitted that prior to getting engaged in to the reeling activity their average income was only between Rs.25,000 to Rs,30,000 per annum and that has increased after getting engaged in reeling and other silk related activities.

More than 80% reelers opined that their standard of living has gone up after taking up the reeling and other silk related activities and less than 20% (19.3%) think that their standard of living has been indifferent even after getting engaged in reeling and other silk related acitivites. From this study it has been observed that after engaging in reeling and other silk related activities the reelers have obtained different household articles. Following table shows the items bought by them by the income generated out of reeling and other silk related activities during the last three years:

Table No 16 New Items acquired after taking up reeling and other silk related activities
Items acquired Paka House Land TV Set Car Mobile and other small Items Paka House, land, TV, Motorcycle etc. Not acquire anything 04 3.5 Number of reelers 22 06 04 02 04 72 Percentage 19.3 5.3 3.5 1.8 3.5 63.2

From the above table it has been found that only 4 reelers have not acquired any new articles for the last three years during the period under review. But almost all of them have acquired different articles and 22 reelers have constructed their Paka House. 72 reelers have purchased different costly items apart from converting their Kecha House into Paka House. This clearly indicates that their standard of living has gone up because of their engagement in Reeling and other silk related activities. When asked after taking up this activity whether their standard of living has increased or not, more than 80% (80.7%) replied positively and only 19.3% either could not realize or is not aware of the standard of living of their own.

It is observed by our study that in Muga reeling Bhir is regarded as an important instrument and most of the reelers live in rural areas are still depending on this traditional instrument to reel the cocoons. From our study it is found that 68.75% reelers still dependent on Bhir and 16.25% reelers use both Bhir and CSTRI Machine and the rest 15% are exclusively use CSTRI Machines in order to do their reeling job. Since the use of Machines in reeling job enhances the production capacity, 68.42% (Table No) reelers are willing to increase their production capacity by using CSTRI Machines. The Job Reelers, whose main duty is to reel cocoons supplied by either traders or weavers, earn their income on contract basis. These reelers do not need to invest money for buying machines and other infrastructure since everything is provided by the traders or weavers and they do not have any storage also. But the Master Reelers, who reel cocoons by purchasing and engaging some Job Reelers, possess one or two cocoon storage rooms and they have to invest a good amount to run their enterprises.

Problems encountered by the Reelers:

Production of yarn is one of the most important activities in supply chain linkages of the silk industry. The reelers and spinners, the producers of yarn, generally concentrate in the cocoon production and weaving clusters. The study found that some of the reelers and spinners produce yarn independently on their own as a venture and some of them produce yarn on behalf of either the Master weavers or the traders. The reelers and spinners who do not work for the master weavers or traders make their own arrangement to buy their required raw materials and those yarn producers, who work under the master weavers and the traders, are supplied with required cocoons and other inputs to do their job smoothly. It has been observed by our study that the reelers and the spinners with sound financial position collect yarn from different yarn producers and sell them in Sualkuchi and Palasbari-Bijoynagar weaving clusters. Our study observed that unlike the old generation reelers and spinners the young ones like to use machines (CSTRI Reeling/Spinning Machines) since the production of yarn with the help of machines becomes higher than those use the traditional instruments like Takuri or Bhir. We have observed that machines can produce eight times more than the traditional instruments. It is also observed that the Eri spinners themselves are the weavers and in this case the question of selling yarn does not arise. However, following constraints relating to marketing of yarn have been identified by this study:

1. The economic condition of most of the reelers spinners is not so sound and a large number of them wage earners. So these people can not think of doing business in real sense of the term. 2. As the reelers and spinners economic condition is not very sound they cannot afford to expand their business. With some exceptions, most of the reelers and the spinners do not have working capital to buy cocoons. Those who are engaged by the master weavers and traders obtain wages out of their reeling job. 3. It is observed that the quality of yarn (both Muga and Eri) produced by different reelers/spinners is not found to be uniform. This impact severely on the quality of fabrics. 4. Though some of the spinners and reelers use CSTRI machines for producing yarn, but majority of yarn producers still rely on old traditional method of production. Consequently, they are not able to produce as per the demand many times. 5. There is not any method of standardization of of quality parameters of yarn. Yarn producers are not careful in packing their products too. The Directorate of Sericulture, Government of Assam, stated that most of the reeling and spinning units installed in Goalpara and Kamrup districts (including our study cluster- Sualkuchi) with the support of the state government under different schemes are lying idle due to the lack of support system, linkages and training.

Conclusion: The golden yellow silk produced by the Muga silkworm Antheraea assama is found
mainly in the North Eastern Region of India. Muga is widely cultivated in the Brahmaputra Valley of Assam and it is regarded as the endemic to the North Eastern Region (NER) of India since no where in the world Muga can be grown except the region. Mugas main food plants are Som (Persea bombycina) and Soalu ( Litsea Polyantha). Muga is semi domesticated in the sense that only the larvae are grown outdoor on the trees and mature silk worm crawl down the trees when they are picked up and placed indoors on dry twigs for cocoon spinning. This is cultivated mainly in Assam and a little portion in other states of the NER of India. Muga is most precious, durable, warm, strong, lustrous, elegant and the best material for every woman in Assamese society on every festive occasion including marriage ceremony either in the form of a Sari or a traditional Mekhela Chadar.

Though the reelers play a very important role in the silk sector of our country, they are not given proper importance. In Sualkuchi also reelers are the most neglected parts of the silk sector. Since Sualkuchi is the biggest Muga weaving cluster in the world, the biggest number of Muga reelers is working in this cluster. So, the concerned Government department of the state must come forward to improve their quality of lives. This would also boost the Muga silk sector in the state. (This research paper is the fruit of a Research Project sponsored by the ICSSR, New Delhi, India and the author is indebted to the organization for its help).

(Since the entire study is based on Primary data only, no reference is available to mention). The paper is exclusively meant for the Asian Journal of Research in Business

Economics and Management for its November, 2011 issue (Print issue).

Title of the Paper: A Study of the Muga Silk Reelers in the Worlds biggest Muga Weaving clusterSualkuchi.
Name of the Author: DR. JATINDRA NATH SAIKIA. Designation: ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, Organization: MANAGEMENT, GOLAGHAT COMMERCE COLLEGE, GOLAGHAT, JYOTI NAGAR, GOLAGHAT, DEAPRTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCE

PIN: 785 621 ASSAM, INDIA. Mobile: 91-9435151015. Email: jatin_saikia@yahoo.com