Thursday, October 18, 2007 Province moves to revive weaving industry
SEEING the high potential source of income, Kalinga moves to revive its weaving industry and make it even more competitive under the “Save the Weaving Industry” program in Cordillera.
Noryn Bagano of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-Kalinga said the regionwide movement launched early this year provides a series of activities aimed to uplift the wavering condition of the once productive industry.
The program, Bagano said, is tied-up with the Peace and Equity Foundation and Cordillera Network of Non-government Organizations as government partners in poverty alleviation projects.
Bagano said the movement has scheduled marketing, product design and organizational promotions for Cordillera weavers for them to improve product quality and expand market opportunities.
Lately in the province, the Tribute Weaving Center representative joined the out-of-town study in Palawan of loom weavers in CAR, where the group visited established loom weaving centers. Palawan is one of the leading provinces in the country on loom weaving.
The Cordillera group gained new management skills and loom weaving craft from the study that are also applicable in the region, Bagano said.
In Kalinga, there are at least 300 loom weavers registered and assisted by the DTI under its micro-finance sector.
DTI-Kalinga recently conducted organizational and skills seminar to members of the sector to improve production capability of weavers so they can increase their average daily income of P267.
The government is now giving eye on the concerns confronting the weaving industry like the still commonly practiced manual weaving system and the need for more capital.
