Beyond Skilling: Why Assam’s Weavers Need Market Access, Not Just Training

What began as a small social enterprise in 2010 has grown into a movement redefining rural livelihood in Assam. Maati Community, founded by Rishi Sarmah and Pabitra Lama Sarmah, started with a simple goal to uplift indigenous women through sustainable livelihoods rooted in traditional skills. Today, their work spans handloom, handicrafts, and spices, impacting over 1,000 artisans across Northeast India.

In 2020, they launched Xuta, a flagship initiative under Maati Community that introduced a novel “thread bank” model in Pathorichuck village in Assam’s North Lakhimpur district. The innovation was simple yet transformative: treat yarn like capital and artisans like entrepreneurs. In this system, weavers receive yarn from a central stock, record usage in a passbook, and are paid swiftly based on output much like a structured financial institution, but for traditional weaving.

“Craft from the Northeast is still unorganized and undervalued,” said Pabitra Lama Sarmah. “We saw that women were producing exceptional weaves, but there was no structure, no pricing standards, and no dignity in the profession. That’s where Xuta stepped in.”

Recognizing that nearly 70 percent of Pathorichuck’s women possess traditional weaving skills, Xuta began by onboarding just 10 artisans. Today, it supports 173 weavers organized into 17 self-help groups. The model guarantees each artisan a minimum earning of Rs. 5,500 in the first month, a bank account with Assam Gramin Vikash Bank, and family health insurance of Rs, 2 lakh. Yarn is provided in 3kg lots, loom accessories and repairs are covered, and artisans receive Rs, 300 per finished piece within 48 hours.

But the work doesn’t stop at production. Maati Community has built strong forward linkages ensuring their handcrafted products reach buyers in Mumbai, Delhi, New York, and Germany. They’ve also entered the corporate gifting space and are advocating sustainability through their entire value chain.

Still, Pabitra underscores the need for systemic reform. “Handloom from Assam accounts for nearly 47 percent of India’s weaving strength, yet its contribution to the national GDP is less than 1 percent. That’s a massive  gap. Our artisans now earn 30 percent more than they used to, but we need better market integration, stronger logistics, and supply chain support,” she stressed.

She applauds government efforts on skill development but questions what happens next. “The government is investing in skilling—but after that, what? Where’s the market access? Where are the platforms? Skilling alone doesn’t grow the GDP. A cohesive ecosystem will.”

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According to Pabitra, the long-term success of rural entrepreneurship like Xuta depends on collaboration between government, civil society, corporates, and communities. “It can’t be just us two doing all the work. We’ve built a model but scale needs partnership.”

Despite challenges such as limited road access to Pathorichuck and seasonal ferry crossings Xuta has not only preserved Assam’s weaving heritage but turned it into an income-generating engine for rural women. By encouraging youth to see value in traditional crafts and offering artisans formal recognition, Maati Community is reviving a fading heritage and connecting it to contemporary economic frameworks.