Does the Weavers’ Cooperative Society Yield Higher Income to the Handloom Weavers? Evidence from Odisha

The study aims to analyse whether the Weavers’ Cooperative Society (WCS) fetches higher income for the weavers as compared to the other two systems of production-marketing such as independent weavers and working under a Master Weaver (MW)/Middleman (MM). It also seeks to examine the social and demographic factors that influence the handloom weavers to join a cooperative society in Odisha. Primary data collected from 435 handloom weaving households shows that the master weaver system of production-marketing is dominant in the study area. The results of one-way ANOVA revealed that the independent weavers earn the highest income, whereas the weavers working under MW/MM receive the lowest. Though the WCS, in comparison to the master weaver system, yields higher income to the weavers, fewer workers are employed under the cooperative society for various reasons. The results of binary logistic regression analysis tell us that the skill and marital status of the weaver are the significant factors affecting the handloom weavers to work under a WCS. Government policies should aim to strengthen cooperative societies with adequate training facilities to enhance the skill of the handloom weavers.