From being Manchester of Kerala to fighting for survival: Kannur’s handloom sector seeks a future beyond nostalgia
Kannur's traditional handloom sector is facing a severe crisis characterized by delayed wages, declining worker numbers, and competition from power looms. Despite its historical reputation, the industry is struggling to survive due to systemic failures in government support schemes.
Why it matters
It illustrates the decline of traditional cottage industries in the face of industrialization and bureaucratic inefficiency.
On National Handloom Day, the silence inside many weaving sheds across Kannur spoke louder than the celebrations. Once celebrated as the “Manchester of Kerala” and the cradle of the State’s handloom tradition, Kannur’s handloom sector today is battling delayed wages, mounting financial losses, dwindling workers, shrinking cooperative societies, and the relentless march of power looms.
While the district continues to dominate Kerala’s home textile export through power loom-based production, the traditional handloom industry that built Kannur’s reputation is steadily fading. Industry representatives say unless structural issues are addressed urgently, the sector risks becoming a symbol of heritage rather than a source of livelihood.
“We are not facing a crisis because handloom has no future. The system itself has failed the workers,” says T.V. Santhosh, joint secretary of the Kerala State Weaver Society Association and secretary of the Kannur District Weavers Society Association.
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