Payakaraopeta Handloom Saris Win Markets, But Weavers Lose Out

Long ago, in a town called Payakaraopeta in India, people made beautiful cotton and silk saris by hand.

These saris are very light, weighing only about 600 grams, and have pretty patterns that take a lot of skill.

Making just one sari takes more than ten days.

The saris are so famous that people in big cities like Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai love to buy them.

But the people who weave the saris do not earn very much money.

Each weaver makes only about six saris a month and earns around ₹6,000 or less.

The weavers say there is no fair pricing, and traders who control the market take most of the profit.

The hot weather from climate change also makes it hard to work in the afternoon, because even a drop of sweat can stain the sari.

Because weaving is so hard and pays so little, young people do not want to learn it, so the old craft may slowly disappear.