In spite of the recent smock challenge on social media which got many people talking, weavers of smock in the Bolgatanga Municipality of the Upper East Region are rather worried about the future.
The challenge brought about an increase in demand for smocks but weavers are indifferent; saying the future of the smock business is not promising due to the continuous increase of raw materials for producing smock.
Lariba Adongo is one of the smock weavers in the Kalbeo community, a suburb of Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region, and fear that her business may soon come to an end if relevant authorities do not intervene.
Cotton thread used in weaving smock has become a scary commodity in the country thereby making smock weavers depend heavily on imports from neighboring countries like Nigeria for their business.
Mrs. Adongo noted that prices of cotton thread used in weaving smocks continue to increase on daily basis as one thread cost between Ghc5.80 and Ghc6.80.
She said, “…to get a full cloth that can sew a reasonable smock you would need at least 15 to 20 pieces of cotton thread to do the Whapping and filling. Sometimes you will even weave the cloth finish and the amount you spent will be more than the cloth. We are indeed struggling as weavers. So, we need help from the authorities. They should find a way that prices of cotton thread can be reduced or better still invest in the farming of cotton in the country.”
Prices of smock indeed in the Upper East Region have increased drastically as a colorful smock is selling between GHc600.00 and GHc1,500.00 as against its initial prices of GHc200.00 and GHc450.00.
Speaking to some smock sewers in the Bolgatanga Municipality they affirmed the price increments, attributing that to the increase in raw materials as said by the weavers.
Secretary to the Bolgatanga Smock Weavers Association, Mohammed Ismael called on relevant authorities especially the government to create an avenue for them to showcase their products to the international market.
“…we don’t like it when we keep on doing the traditional way of businesses. If the government can help create that avenue of doing business in the international communities, we will forever be grateful because it will open our scope of doing business. It will also help us shape the cost of doing business thereby reducing the prices of smock which an ordinary person can buy”, he added.
Talking about avenues for export of smock, Executive Secretary at the Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana, Samson Aasaki Awingobit noted that it will be impossible for the government to do that as the powers of such initiative lies in the arms of authorities in the region.
According to Mr. Aasaki, the current Regional Minister and that of the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) ought to take the initiative up by vigorously promoting smock at any function they find themselves.
“The regional minister and the export authorities in the region should take it up as their initiative to promote the smock. The smock is not just an ordinary cloth, remember it is heavy and the whites do not like heavy cloths but with proper marketing and education, I believe things will be fine. If smock is properly marketed, it will help reduce the poverty level amongst people in the region”, he added.
Meanwhile, lovers of smocks on the streets of Bolgatanga when contacted noted that despite the rise in prices, they will continue to wear smocks as it wearing gives them dignity and identity as Northerners.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1 MHz|Moses Apiah|Ghana
