Arakan State’s weaving industry struggles to find its feet again in cyclone’s wake 

By Admin 17 Jul 2023

DMG Newsroom
17 July 2023, Sittwe

The weaving industry in Arakan State was among many affected by Cyclone Mocha, and weavers need financial aid for regeneration, according to weaving business owners.                                                    

Weaving workshops and raw materials were damaged by the storm, and business ownerssay they need financial assistance to rebuild and restock.

“The whole factory, including dying facilities and the showroom, were badly damaged. We have resumed production on a small-scale with what was left,” said the owner of the Shwe Kyar weaving factory, Daw Ma Aye.

The factory employed 65 workers before the storm, but can provide jobs for only 20 workers now.

“I earned around 400,000 kyats per month. However, I have had no job since the storm. I can’t support my family. I am sad,” said Ko Tun Tun Win, a worker at the Shwe Kyar weaving factory who has been made redundant since the cyclone struck on May 14.

More than 370 looms were destroyed by the storm in Warr Bo, a weaving village in Sittwe Township. Villagers need financial support to resume their business, but the regime has not yet provided any financial assistance or loans, said weaving business owner Daw Aye Nu Khin.

“We can’t afford to repair looms. For now, weavers have to give priority to repairing their houses. Only then will they be able to return to work. We heard the military council will provide us with loans. However, we have not yet received it,” she said.

Some Warr Bo villagers have been pushed into daily wage jobs in the absence of weaving work.

“I have been collecting and selling mushrooms as I can’t work at the loom,” said weaver Daw Oo Hsan Kyi. “I am surviving on my daily wage. At the weaving workshop, I earn between 200,000 to 300,000 kyats [per month]. So, it was OK for me. I am afraid I will have to wait for months until I get my job back at the loom.”

The traditional Arakanese weaving industry was on the verge of collapse before bouncing back in 2015. Residents of Warr Bo village have endured multiple seasons of difficult times to keep the industry alive, the post-cyclone challenges being just the latest.

The military regime on June 20 announced loans for micro, small and medium enterprises affected by Cyclone Mocha, but the loans are yet to be disbursed.

Two months after the storm, many manufacturing plants are still in need of repairs and can’t resume normal operations.