SHILLONG: The Silk Mission of the Indo-German Cooperation GIZ project Climate Change Adaptation – North Eastern Region (CCA-NER) in collaboration with the Department of Sericulture and Weaving, Meghalaya Government conducted a series of training for Eri silk producers in four different villages of Ri Bhoi district from August 18 to September 24, a delayed report said.
A cadre of 9 master trainers – department officials and specialized silk spinners/ weavers who have been trained by the CCA NER programme in 2013/14 – are now internalizing and conducting these trainings. A total of 84 weavers have presently been trained by the Master Trainers in partnership with GIZ and the Department of Sericulture.
The training constitutes of five modules – degumming, hand spinning, soft natural dyeing, traditional weaving and marketing of handmade Eri silk goods. The modules – developed in cooperation with the Department of Sericulture and Weaving – are based on the best practices from experimentations in various stages of Eri silk production, which the programme has carried out in Meghalaya in the past two years.
The next phase would look into steps of mobilizing the weavers into specialized production units to enhance mass production of this niche product.
