June 21: Feeling the huge effects of the global Covid-19 pandemic, the sales of handloom textile Khadi has witnessed a decline by 16% year-on-year in the 2021 financial year. However, Village Industries goods have seen a surge in its sales for FY21.
Earlier on Thursday, as reported by Press Trust of India, the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises has announced that overall Khadi sales had totalled Rs 3,527.71 crore ($530.26 million) in the 2021 financial year ending in March.
At the same time, the overall production in the sector has also declined as spinning and weaving activities across the country had been greatly been under effect amid the coronavirus pandemic given the curfew and lockdown restrictions. This has also reduced the manufacturing activities, health factors of the workers, and a three-month hiatus among other issues.
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Even though when the Khadi sales have seen a drop, the ministry’s Khadi and Village Industries Commission’s gross annual turnover hiked to Rs 95,741.74 crore in the 2021 financial year compared to Rs 88,887 crore in the 2020 financial year.
KVIC, at its ‘brick-and-mortar’ stores and online platform, retails a range of Khadi products along with locally made personal care goods among other items.
As reported by the Press Trust of India, the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises said, “The overall production in the Khadi sector in 2020-21 was recorded at Rs 1,904.49 crore as compared to Rs 2,292.44 crore in 2019-20, while the overall Khadi sales stood at Rs 3,527.71 crore as compared to Rs 4,211.26 crore in the previous year.”
