Pamunuwa, a hub for cut-piece textiles

by Ananda Kannangara

A trade stall

Customers at a stall

Shopping Pix: Vipula Amarasinghe

Secretary PSTS, Ajith Jayasuriya

The `Pamunuwa City' at Maharagama is famous for textile cut- pieces. People from all parts of the country and foreigners visit the city everyday to buy clothes, ready-made garments and cut-pieces.

Pamunuwa is also called the `Pamunuwa Textile Village'. It is located 18 kilometres from Colombo.

If someone visits this textile village, he could freely buy high quality cut-pieces, locally manufactured fabrics, multi-coloured clothes and other readymade garments at very low prices.

Traders

Traders at Pamunuwa textile village purchase cut-pieces mainly from garment factories, located in Maharagama, Bellanwila, Moratuwa, Ratmalana and in the suburban areas.

A team from Sunday Observer last week had a rare opportunity to visit the textile village which has a history of over 40 years.

Pamunuwa Small Traders Society, Secretary (PSTS), Ajith Jayasuriya was happy to reveal the history of this popular textile village'.

He said this village was so popular not only among locals, but also among foreign tourists who visit Sri Lanka from countries such as India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Singapore and from European countries.

According to Ajith, three trade societies, the Pamunuwa Old Road Textile Society, The Pamunuwa Railway Lane Textile Society and the Pamunuwa Textile Society have been in the textile business for the past 40 years.

He also thanked Governments in the past and also the present Government for the valuable support extended towards Pamunuwa textile stall owners to carry out business activities smoothly.

There are nearly 1,000 small textile stalls and about 100 large textile shops at the `Pamunuwa village'.

Business activities are done everyday including on public holidays and Poya Days from 4.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m.

Traders who sell readymade garments at Pamunuwa old Road area do their business from 4.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m., while another group of traders start business at 6.00 a.m. at Pamunuwa Railway Lane area until 3.30 p.m.

The third group, who sell textile cut-pieces is engaged in their usual business activities between 6.30 a.m. and 7.30 p.m.

Since three groups of traders operate different textile businesses, the Pamunuwa town is busy with over 100,000 buyers and customers throughout the day.

A trader S. Gamalath said that no clashes take place between traders, buyers or customers, since all of them are engaged in their business activities.

No Police personnel are seen in the vicinity. Jayasuriya also said the textile business at Pamunuwa had commenced during 1970's and it gradually developed after 1978 with the starting of Garment industries by the then Prime Minister Ranasinghe Premadasa.

Unlike today, from 1978 to 2000 a large number of garment factories were set up in the country and our traders purchased large quantities of textile cut-pieces from these factories.

But, the situation today has completely changed, since some prominent garment factories from which we bought cut-pieces have now been closed.

The traders now buy cut-pieces from few factories and the stuff is insufficient to cater the demand.

Factories

Some factories who provided cut-pieces earlier to local market, are now selling them to Indian buyers who regularly visit the country.

Almost all traders at the Pamunuwa textile village earnestly appeal the Government to direct the local garment factory owners to refrain from selling cut-pieces to Indian buyers, so that we could directly buy from factories and expand the Pamunuwa textile business.

Cut-pieces

Selling cut-pieces to foreign buyers other than for local buyers has badly affected to the business at Pamunuwa and as a result some clothes and cut-pieces are sold at high prices.

We have also taken a decision to meet Minister Basil Rajapaksa and inform him about this situation.

A textile shop owner, D.M. Dissanayaka thanked Minister Dinesh Gunawardana and also the Maharagama Urban Council for the help given to expand the business activities at Pamunuwa.

A member of the Society, G. Piyasena also requested the Government to construct permanent shops at Pamunuwa textile village like the trade complex which was built in Colombo for hawkers at Olcott Mawatha. He said the temporarily erected present stalls are not sufficient to carry out their day to day business activities.

According to the Pamunuwa Traders over 100,000 customers and buyers from every part of the country visit Pamunuwa Village everyday.

The arrival of customers to the village has increased following the presence of Northern and Eastern buyers.

The business at Pamunuwa village exceeds Rs. 10 million a day, while this amount exceeds up to Rs. 20 million during new year, Christmas and other festival seasons.

A customer, Gihan Ranjith said he regularly visit the Pamunuwa Textile village and requests authorities to provide adequate sanitation facilities.

Visitors to the village face immense hardships due to lack of toilet facilities and they have requested authorities to set up more vehicle parks.