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Title of the Paper: A Study of the Muga Silk Reelers
in the Worlds biggest Muga Weaving cluster-
Sualkuchi.
Name of the Author: DR. JATINDRA NATH SAIKIA.
Designation: ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR,
Organization: DEAPRTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT,
GOLAGHAT COMMERCE COLLEGE, GOLAGHAT,
JYOTI NAGAR, GOLAGHAT,
PIN: 785 621
ASSAM, INDIA.
Mobile: 91-9435151015.
Email: [email protected]
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Study of the Muga Silk Reelers in the
Worlds biggest Muga Weaving cluster-
Sualkuchi.
Dr. Jatindra Nath SaikiaSualkuchi 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.
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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
Lakh Pieces)
Fabric (No of
lakh Sq
mtrs)
Production
Per Annum
(Lakh in
Rupees)
1 Mekhela, Chadar,
Blouse, Parh etc
15017 3.37 18.43 4718
2 Saree 2902 0.78 5.17 1560
3 Than 1216 0.76 6.08 760
4 Khasi Dress 33 0.16 0.40 22
Total 19168 5.07 30.08 7060
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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 Particulars Amount of Consumption
1 Mulberry Silk Yarn 268 MT
2 Tasar yarn 26 MT
3 Muga Yarn (23.33 Crores Cocoons) 42 MT
4 Rayon Design Thread 180 MT
5 Jari-Golden/Silver9marks 225 gm) 30,000 marks
6 Dyes 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 Particulars Number
1 Loom Owners-Managers 4715
2 Weavers 19168 (Female =10496 & Male
= 8672)
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3 Helpers 7770 (Hired 2148 & Domestic
5622)
4 Yarn winder & Reelers 2271
Total 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. Muga-Eri Cocoon/waste Trading 125 Traders
2. Muga Reeling 250 Reelers
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3 Eri-Muga Spinners-cum-Weavers 12,213 Spinners-Weavers
4 MugaEri Yearn Traders 25 Traders
5 Spun Eri-muga Fabric 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 Number of Reelers Percentage
20-30 Years 62 54.4
31-40 Years 38 33.3
41-50 Years 08 7.0
More than 50 Years 06 5.3
Total 114 100
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:
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Table No: 6
Educational Qualification
Educational Qualification Number of reelers Percentage
Under Matrics 34 29.8
H.S.L.C. 30 26.3
H.S. 34 29.8
Graduate 14 12.3
Post graduate 02 1.8
Total 114 100
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 Number of Reelers Percentage
1 Year 04 3.5
1-5 Years 46 40.4
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More than 5 years 64 56.1
Total 114 100
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 No of Reelers Percentage
Less than 1 lakh 14 12.28
Rs, 1 lakh 02 1.8
Rs.1-2 Lakhs 10 8.8
Rs.2.1 -5 lakhs 10 8.8
Rs.5.1-10 lakhs 02 1.8
Not Invested/ Not applicable 76 66.7
Total 114 100
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
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Investment in Raw materials
Amount of investment in raw materials No of reelers Percentage
Rs.10,000-Rs.50,000 04 3.5
Rs.51,000-Rs.1,00,000 12 10.5
More than Rs.1,00,000 24 21.1
Not calculated 74 64.9
Total 114 100
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 No of Reelers Percentage
Less than 10 KG 14 12.3
10-15 KG 48 42.1
16-20 KG 20 17.5
More than 20 KG 32 28.1
Total 114 100
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
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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 No of reelers Percentage
Lack of Cocoons 12 11
Lack of Quality cocoons 22 19
Financial problems 18 16
Lack of experienced labourers 18 15
Not Applicable/Not facing problem 44 39
Total 114 100
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 No of reelers PercentageLess than 1 year 45 39.4
1-3 years 20 17.5
More than 3 years 05 4.3
Not Applicable/Not facingProblem/ Not aware of them
44 38.8
Total 114 100
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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 Number of Reelers Percentage
1-3 Nos 28 24.6
4-5 Nos 10 8.8
More than 5 Nos 04 3.5
Not Applicable 72 63.1
Total 114 100
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 sellingtheir 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.
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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
No of reelers Percentage
Less than 2 Nos 09 7.8
2-3 Nos 10 8.7
4-5 Nos 05 4.3
6-7 Nos 04 3.5
Not applicable 84 73.6
Total 114 100
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.
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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 Number of reelers Percentage
Buy more cocoons 14 12.28
Apply for loan to increase capital amount 09 7.82
Use of High Speed machine 78 68.42
Not Applicable 13 11.50
Total 114 100
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.
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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 Number of reelers Percentage
Paka House 22 19.3
Land 06 5.3
TV Set 04 3.5
Car 02 1.8
Mobile and other small Items 04 3.5
Paka House, land, TV,
Motorcycle etc.
72 63.2
Not acquire anything 04 3.5
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.
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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 theirenterprises.
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:
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1. The economic condition of most of the reelers spinners is not so sound and a large number ofthem 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 toexpand 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 differentreelers/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, butmajority 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 producersare 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 foundmainly 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.
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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 theAsian 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 cluster-
Sualkuchi.
Name of the Author: DR. JATINDRA NATH SAIKIA.
Designation: ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR,
Organization: DEAPRTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT,
GOLAGHAT COMMERCE COLLEGE, GOLAGHAT,
JYOTI NAGAR, GOLAGHAT,
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PIN: 785 621
ASSAM, INDIA.
Mobile: 91-9435151015.
Email: [email protected]
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