Howrah Fulia Handloom Cooperative West Bengal

Fulia town in the Nadia district adjacent to Howrah in West Bengal is the centre of the Shantipur-Fulia handloom cluster producing fine cotton and silk muslin, jamdani-influenced weaves, and baluchari fabric in cooperative weaving societies. Shantipur was historically the weaving capital of Bengal before Partition disrupted the trade routes. Today Fulia cooperative weavers supply cotton sarees to West Bengal emporiums and through WBHDC marketing. The Howrah cooperative handloom cluster produces loom engineering components and hand-operated shuttles supplied to weavers across eastern India. Kolkata the capital functions as the commercial hub for cooperative handloom marketing through the Dakshinapan cooperative market complex and the Biswa Bangla state enterprise that sells cooperative products. The Bengal handloom cooperative tradition is distinguished by the jamdani supplementary weft technique producing floral and geometric patterns on fine cotton muslin fabric that has UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage designation.