World over Indian handicraft industry is usually described as highly labour intensive, cottage based industry and decentralized. Even though this is an unorganized sector it provides direct and indirect employment to over six million artisans. This sector holds great importance not just from the high employment potential point of view but also from the kind of forex it generates from its surprisingly low capital investment. In general, handicrafts can be broadly classified into two categories:
1.Articles of everyday use
2.Decorative items
The handicraft manufacturers use a wide range of medium to express their creativity and originality. Most of the common medium used are textiles, metals – precious and semi-precious, wood, precious and semi-precious stones, ceramic and glass.
Apart from the woodwork like handcrafted wooden toys, furniture, decorative articles etc. which remain in demand throughout the season, textile based handicrafts like block and screen printing, batik, kalamkari (hand printing by pen) and bandhani are also quite popular. The next in the line comes handcrafted items made from clay, metal (like brass, bronze etc.) and jewelry. Last but not the least, glass and ceramic items too are quite sought after and can be placed next to stone craft made out of marble, sandstone etc.
Indian made handicrafts items have a distinct competitiveness in the international market primarily due to their designs and low cost. Even though its share in the global arena is somewhat minuscule , even then its demand is growing at a rapid pace. In the times to come , in order to match the supply with the current demand we need to lower our reliance on the handwork of the artisans and instead incorporate new technologies, focus on innovation, and improvise distribution channels .
Experts re-emphasize the fact that the handicraft industry holds the potential to give employment to millions of rural folks. All that it needs is support from the government and some assistance from the corporate sector. On the whole, it seems that handicraft suppliers from India are all set to make their presence felt across the globe and inching towards their way to become a market leader.
PS : handicrafts exporters get your online catalog today and make profits by tapping the business queries being generated across the globe on the web 24/7 . To know more , click on Indian handicrafts manufacturers
The second story which caught my attention was that the Indian government is all set to provide more incentives to some of the “not to strong” sectors including the handicrafts industry. Even though the handicraft sector did achieve its target, it still remains one of the most fragile sectors wherein the growth is not comprehensive or stable. Sources say, the measures will be announced in the mid of January.
An industry-wide performance analysis done by the Government of India has revealed that labour intensive sectors such as apparel and handicrafts, need additional measures for growth consolidation before they could become self sustainable in the long run.
All this drives across one point that the current Indian government is quite serious about the issues of small to mid level industries and is taking up aggressive measures to address their concerns.
As of now, the value of Indian handicraft exports is not very significant, however, it still remains one of the big source of employment. The US continues to remain the largest market for Indian handicraft exporters, followed by the UK. The US and EU together account for 70 per cent of the total handicrafts exports from India.
The Indian handicrafts exports were hit hard due to the global economic slowdown. Almost after 11 months of gloom, exports turned positive from September 2009. In all fairness, we can say that, by the end of 2010 the handicraft industry is poised for some serious growth and position itself as an important player in the world market.
At the start of this blog I also talked about an interesting phrase; here it is 'Hammocks to Switzerland, pottery to Greece'. This seems to be the new mantra adopted by Indian handicrafts exporters, which loosely means exporting Indian crafts to newer destinations.
There is something about the end of December that gives everyone a ray of hope that the next year may change their fortune for good. With all the measures that have been announced or are yet to be announced, handicrafts exporters expect better and more profitable 2011.
PS : handicrafts exporters get your online catalog today and make profits by tapping the business queries being generated across the globe on the web 24/7 . To know more , click on Indian handicrafts manufacturers
It seems like paul the octopus (who predicted the FIFA world cup results correctly) is in high demand once again. New delhi seeks his services badly to know if the commonwealth games would take place successfully or not? Sad that unlike our politicians he has retired and wouldn't make any predictions ever in the future.
Another aspect which has been overshadowed by the commonwealth mess has been the decline in the estimated influx of tourists to see the games. Forget the spectators, the organisers are now seen pleading hard to the athletes to turn up for the event. What could have been a golden opportunity for the government to put Delhi gloriously on the world map, has now bruised delhi's image to the unthinkable levels.
"We were told that nearly 1 lakh tourists will arrive apart from the athletes and officials which could have given our business a huge boost, however, now that the event itself is in the danger of being called off, all the plans and expectations of better business have gone for a toss." says one of the handicrafts manufactures.
The government still maintains that not all is lost and efforts are being made to stage the event smoothly. In case the heavy influx of tourists do arrive, there are still many places where in they can shop in peace without much security concern . As has been the trend in the past, tourist mainly gets attracted towards the handcrafted items like wooden handicrafts, brass handicrafts, silver handicrafts etc. The main places to shop, especially the handicrafts items are dilli haat, connaught place, janpath and state emporium houses.
Handicrafts suppliers mainly deal with wooden decorative items, furniture, jewellery, garments, wall hangings, marble handicrafts, paintings and metal handicrafts. The handicrafts items which are popular mainly amongst the tourists are wooden and brass handicrafts, brass statues, gods statue, brass decorative, statues of hindu goddess, european statues, enamelware, miniatures etc.
Most of the handicrafts manufacturers and suppliers had pinned their hopes on this mega event to recover from the economic slump and are now understandably worried with the turn of events.
As one of the handicrafts exporters sums up the general sentiment - "We sincerely want these games to happen successfully, it is good not just for our business but for the country as well. May be the media has exaggerated the mismanagement but now is the time to focus on the successful completion of these games."
So the big question everyone asking is - Can we pull it off ? Well, oct 3rd isn't far off and the next few days would determine whether New Delhi would be able to salvage its reputation or not !
PS : If you are a handicrafts exporters get your online catalogue today and make profits by tapping the business queries being generated across the globe on the web 24/7 . To know more , click on handicrafts exporters
Handicrafts play an important role in preserving the rich heritage of any country. Artisans and craftsmen indulge in this trade not just because of the lure of money, they do it as it connects them with their past, their tradition and helps them preserve their identity in today's rapidly changing world. Across the globe, handicraft industries give an additional employment and raise the level of living for both, the rural and urban population.
The Indian Proposition
Indian Handicraft industry serves an important role in the development of economy of the rural masses and earns substantial foreign exchange.The major handicraft hubs in India are Moradabad, Jaipur, Saharanpur, Jodhpur and Narsapur . Collectively, they employ (directly and indirectly) about 1 million people. Handicrafts Exporters from India have an edge against its competitors like China, Philippines, etc. who generally produce machine-made products whereas Indian handmade products are more popular all over the world, courtesy, their exclusive designs and talented workmanship.
Global Scenario
Like India , many other countries take keen interest in promoting their handicrafts industry. A rough estimate says that the Govt. of Australia spends around $6.3 million per year , United States (one of the biggest player in the handicraft industry) employs an approximately 127000 people and accounts for approx US$13.8 billion and Canada nearly accounts for a total of over $100 million exports and employs about 22,597 persons in the handicraft sector.
Popular Products
Handicrafts Exporters usually deal in Decorative Items, Furniture, Jewellery, Garments, Wall Hangings, Marble Handicrafts, Paintings, Metal Handicrafts. The popular Products that are sought after by the importers and other buyers are brass handicrafts, brass statues, bronze religious craft, gods statue, brass decorative, statues of hindu, statues of goddess, singing bowls, bells, European statues, enamelware, handicraft, enamel, miniatures etc.
Government Initiative
In an attempt to empower the rural sector Government of India has been quite supportive of the handicraft industry.Handicrafts craftsmen get many opportunities to showcase their products at well publicised trade shows and trade fairs. There have been reports that the textile ministry is contemplating an aggressive campaign to promote Indian handicraft products among the sports persons and spectators in the upcoming Common Wealth Games 2010.
Current Developments
After initial struggle Indian handicraft items are finding their rightful place in the world market.The products that have appealed more to the western countries are costume jewellery, hand-printed textiles and scarves, embroidered and crocheted garments, bags and purses, zari supplies, footwear, shawls, belts, chappals, and stoles etc.
There was a slump in the overall export of Indian handicrafts due to the recession however as per the last available stats, there has been substantial growth and the current Export figures indicates that we could reach the Rs.10000 Cr. mark by the end of 2010 .
Road to the Future
The future could be a bit tough for the Handicrafts Exporters because of the increased demand to enforce various social and environmental compliances from the major importing countries. More focus is on producing environment friendly handicrafts and to avoid the usage of perilous materials in their manufacturing. Amidst these challenges, the need of the hour is to create awareness and better promotion of environment friendly crafts, test new waters specially the South American countries and educate the craftsmen for quality up-gradation to make India's crafts competitive enough to become a market leader across the globe.
PS : If you are a handicraft exporter get your online catalogue today and make profits by tapping the business queries being generated across the globe on the web 24/7 . To know more , click on Handicrafts Exporters .
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