Mau, now known as MaunathBhanjan, is an industrial town and the headquarter of the Mau district. It is located in the eastern part of Uttar Pradesh, India. The town is known for its saree industry which is a traditional business and centuries-old art.The district was known as “‘Manchester of Handlooms” in the past. However, after 1980s the weavers of Mau shifted to power loom technology from handloom. 1970s there were ~60,000 weavers using ~40,000 handlooms to manufacture mainly cotton sarees. Gradually after 1980s, the weavers began to use power looms, for weaving polyester sarees. Polyester Saree is the major product produced by the weaver in the city. Polyester saree contributes to 90 - 95% of industrial output from the textile sector in Mau. the district also produces dress material and plain saree, mekhla and wrap (for Assam and Meghalaya) in smaller quantities besides polyester sarees with zari buta and border .

The district contributes ~1% of State’s GSDP. It is observed from the that district generated GDDP of ~INR 7,700 crore in 2017. The GDDP of the district increased with CAGR of ~4.5% from 2012 to 2017. However, Mau contributes ~1% of GSDP of Uttar Pradesh following Gautam Buddh Nagar, Lucknow, Allahabad, Agra, Varanasi etc., which contribute more than ~2% of GSDP2.

Mau lies between 83° 17' to 84° 52' East Longitude and 24° 4 7' to 26°17' North Latitude and is situated in the south- eastern part of the state with headquarters at Mau town. Mau is surrounded by Ghazipur district on the south, Ballia district in the east, Azamgarh district in the west, and by Gorakhpur and Deoria districts on the north. The river Ghagra forms its northern boundary and south boundary of the district touches Tamsa River. Total geographical area of the district is about 1,71,459 Hectare .
Mau is accessible from every part of India through Rail and Road. It is directly connected with New Delhi, Patna, Kolkata, Mumbai, Varanasi, and other major cities by railway.

Mau is situated on the fertile plains of the Ganges–Ghaghara doab. "Khachari" and "Khadar" are types of soils found in the areas of north of Azamgarh - Ballia Road. In some high places "Bangar" soil is also found. In the southern part of the district, river flow is absent, due to which the area has “Bangar” type of soil, which is not fertile. The river system of the district is dominated by the Tons River and its tributary ChotiSarju. Mau has a warm humid subtropical climate with cool, dry winters from December to February and dry, hot summers from April to June. The rainy season is from mid-June to mid-September, when Mau gets an average rainfall of 800millimetres from the south-west monsoon winds, and occasionally frontal rainfall will occur in January. In winter, the maximum temperature is around 25 °C (77 °F) and the minimum is in the 2 to 3 degrees Celsius range. Fog is quite common from late December to late January. Summers are extremely hot with temperatures rising to the 40-to-43-degree Celsius range.

As given in the following table, MSME industries across the sectors of agro-based industries, repair & servicing, wood and wooden based furniture, Cotton textile, chemical,engineering etc. are the key economy drivers of the district. Repair and servicing contribute most in terms of employment and revenue, which is approximately 23% and18% respectively. Cotton textiles contributes ~22% to revenue, and ~26% of work force is employed in this vertical and lies on second position after repair and service sector. Repairing and servicesector of MSME with 2606 units in the district is the most prominent and economy contributing sector of the district. It is followed by sectors such as “Cotton textile,”“Agro based industries” with 1640 and 302units, respectively.

Out of total population of 22,05,968 (2011 census), 6,96,747 are working population. Out of total working population, 31.7% are working in other industries, 20.8% are cultivators, 30.5% are agricultural labourers and 17% are household industry workers. This indicates that agriculture is the main source of income in the district.

The total export from Mau is approximately INR7.82 Crore for the period September 2020 to November 2021.

Mau has an ancient history of textile designing. The most exquisite brocades in silk and gold are woven by the weavers on silk pit loom. The weavers are best known for their skill in brocade weaving and known as Kinkhabs.

Mau has an ancient history of textile designing. The most exquisite brocades in silk and gold are woven by the weavers on silk pit loom. The weavers are best known for their skill in brocade weaving and known as Kinkhabs. There are many exquisite designs in this variety, and it is impossible to copy or imitate the saris as the loom is very intricate in designing. The origin of this old technique has been obscured by time, but the Moghul influence is seen in the motifs, which often depict floral patterns and hunting scenes.The textile product ecosystem comprises 4 key clusters: Mau City, Mohammadabad &Validpur, Ghosi and Adari, ~71,000 weavers are based in Mau city. This is followed by Mohammadabad and Validpur clusters, where weaver count is estimated to be ~32,000, operating ~16,000 power looms.
Ghosi and Adari comprise ~11,000 weavers using ~8,600 power looms. Further, an additional 20,700 workers are engaged across the value chain: manufacturing and exporting Polyster Saree, dress material and other power loom textile products. Currently, about 1.5 or 2 lakh saris are made every day. Several members of a family work on the same loom and, on an average, two saris are woven on a loom in a day. There are 6670 total registered industrial units in Mau and estimated average numbers of daily workers employed in the textile industry are 141,700 .

Polyester Saree is the major product produced by the weaver in the city. Polyester saree contributes to 90 - 95% of industrial output from the textile sector in Mau. the district also produces dress material and plain saree, mekhla and wrap (for Assam and Meghalaya) in smaller quantities besides polyester sarees with zaributa and border.
The manufacturing process involves designing, yarn dyeing, warping, weaving and finishing activities, all performed within the district. However, some of the facilities i.e. dyeing, finishing, designing is managed externally also. To manufacture textile products, mostly dyed yarn is purchased. Finishing and designing are managed from Varanasi in addition to Mau.

1. Polyester Saree:Main product of Mau’s textile cluster is the polyester saree. Though silk and cotton were majorly used by saree manufacturing units in India before, polyester saree materials have gained popularity in the recent years due to its durability and finishing types. They also come in affordable rates in comparison to silk or cotton materials. Polyester being synthetic can be woven into different thicknesses. Widely available in numerous, colour, weaving pattern, designs, polyester material are much popular in saree manufacturing industry. Polyester Materials are cheaper option in comparison to silk material. Polyester saree contributes to 90 - 95% of industrial output from the textile sector in Mau. 2. Dress material: Apart from Saree some producers also produce dress materials.Dress material is basically a form of unstitched fabric which the consumer buys to stitch according to their need. Main use of dress material is to stitch Salwar suit. Dress materials contribute approximately 4 - 8% of the output from Mau’s textile sector. ;
3. Others: Some manufacturers also produce mekhla and wrap who have their market in the North-East India mainly in Assam and Meghalya. Mekhela Chador (also spelled as Mekhela Chaddar, Mekhla Chadar, Mekhlo Chador), is type of Saree comprising two pieces of cloth, draped on the top and bottom, which is the traditional attire worn by the women of Assam. The bottom half of this unique dress is called the ‘mekhela’ which is cylindrical in shape. Mekhla and wrap (for Assam and Meghalaya) are some of the other products contributing approximately 1–2% of the textile market in Mau.

Mau saree has been awarded Geographical Indication (G.I.) status in 2021and is valid upto 2029. Bharat Industrial Co-operative Society Limited, Mau is the registered applicant of GI.;

Cluster Stackholders

Following are four principal Industry Associations/SPVs that are working for the development of Polyester saree in Mau:
► Mau Handloom and Power loom Manufacturers Association
► Mau Power loom Artisans Association
► Mau Power loom Traders Association ;

The export scenario of India and Uttar Pradesh have been analysed basis the export statistics of HS codes mentioned above under which polyester saree are exported.

Current Scenario The export scenario of India and Uttar Pradesh have been analysed basis the export statistics of HS codes mentioned above under which polyester saree are exported. Alongside are the key facts pertaining to the analysed product codes. Based on our analysis, we have identified key synergies that should be developed to expand our current reach and potential; These synergies are divided into immediate and long term. The immediate synergies include countries with Signed FTA’s, high growth potential, and one is catered by India and not UP. Whereas the long-term synergies include countries with untapped market potential whichcan only be fulfilled if UP’s exporters comply and raise the quality of the product to the higheststandards, freight rates are more subsidized and major effortsis required in marketing which will require time to accommodate the same. ;

► The total export of polyester saree from Mau district wasapprox. INR 4 crores in year 2020-21.
► Due to supply side pressures and price volatility, cotton will struggle to fulfil the growing fibre demand while manmade fibres, specifically polyester, will gain share and, polyester sarees are amongst the key products manufactured in Mau. This could be leveraged to reach greater heights in the export market
► Increasing use in nonwovens and technical textiles, changing consumer trends including increasing emphasis on fitness and hygiene, rising brand consciousness, fast changing fashion trends, increasing women participation in workforce will further boost the demand of manmade fibres. By 2025, share of polyester in global fibre consumption will become 55% from current level of 51% whereas that of cotton will decline to 28% from current level of 31%.
► As per the exporters from polyester saree, the demand for the design depends a lot on the local climatic condition. While the GCC countries preferred light weight fabrics and attires like Hijabs, scarfs, stoles, suits, dupattas, along with the accessories
► The cluster has tremendous export potential, but owing to lack of proper market assessment mechanism, changing design patterns, specific demand preferences.
► Hence, it was pointed out that the proper study of the foreign market, region specific demand patterns to be ascertained. Along with that, a common platform to be created where there can be an integration between the exporters and importers, thereby making the export ecosystem robust and effective.
Product 540752: Uttar Pradesh exports this product to Malaysia, USA, Nepal, Mauritius, UK, Singapore, United Arab, Canada, France, Australia, and Saudi Arabia, Germany and Magnolia.Below figure shows the top importers for this product (540752) in the world:

Product Diversification is one of the most crucial product uplifting strategies which in turn is animportant part of a product’s export. This plays a vital role in any products exports as it is a product uplifting strategy. Most weaversare not bothered about changing their product range and they fail to understand that it is an integral part of comprehensive marketing. Diversification can be brought in the cluster by:
1. Development of a new products: The weavers of the district should be encouraged to diversify the product categories and must be provided with enough resources to create innovative products without losing the ancestral essence of the craft. The weavers going forward should focus on creating suiting and shirting, Sofa covers, dining covers, bedsheets, Curtains, Sherwani (top looks like men’s sherwani). 2. Modifications of Existing Products It has also been found that most of the weavers use no strategy for making modifications to the existing products in the light of design and fusion. The weavers can make fusion products by blending polyester &zariwork with madhubani or block prints. They can also expand in terms of the materials they use for making the products by introducing cotton and jute into their product range.