With the onset of wedding season, the demand of saree and other dress materials is on the rise and most of the units, including weaving, procession and trading, can be seen working round the clock.

However, in all three segments, the industry is facing shortage of workers, as most of the labourers had gone to their native villages during the Diwali vacation, but a few have returned. Nearly 10 lakh migrant workers are engaged in the textile industry.

Generally, the workers engaged in weaving (powerloom) belong to Orissa, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, while those associated with trading (packaging and dispatching) are from Maharashtra and Rajasthan. Processing units like dyeing and printing have workers mostly from UP, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.

The president of Federation of Surat Textile Trader Association, Mahendra Saluja, said they were not happy to see the diamond workers becoming jobless and on the other hand, they were facing shortage of labourers.

Saluja added: “In my opinion, the jobless diamond workers should start working in the textile industry. It will be beneficial for both them and us, as majority of the diamond workers belong to different districts of Gujarat.”

He further said they “experience ups and downs in the industry every year”. “During Diwali, labourers go to their respective native places and some of them return while others stay back,” he added.

Arun Jariwala, chairman, Federation of Indian Art Silk Weaving Industry (FIASWI), said, “We are ready to train the diamond polishers if they join our industry.”

According to Jariwala, the industry has not been affected much by the global meltdown because unlike the diamond industry, it is not export oriented.

“Although we export fabrics and garments to other countries, but the percentage is low. Another reason is that clothes are necessary to the mankind, while diamond is considered subsidiary,” he said.